


Rebirth

by ThatAnnoyingWriter



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: "I'm back", Action, Adventure, Apocalypse, Bill - Freeform, Gravity Falls - Freeform, Parents, Secrets, Summer, Weirdness, axolotl, theory, town
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-07-11 18:49:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 22,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7065898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatAnnoyingWriter/pseuds/ThatAnnoyingWriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>To the twins Mabel and Dipper, this was going to be an ordinary summer. Well, even Gravity Falls counts as ordinary when Bill isn't around. Though they're not sure if their parents would agree to that, as they are going to be thrown headfirst into weirdness without any warnings.</p><p>Well, the same can be said for the twins in this case.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Summer Again

**Author's Note:**

> Should I do ships in this fanfiction? Thumbs up, down?
> 
> Welcome one and all, to my second fanfiction! (Can 'Stay By My Side' even count as a fanfiction? It's more like written despair.) 
> 
> Alright, so this fanfiction has been inspired by CPGames's (YT channel) theory.
> 
> I've also written a different version of this fanfiction in Wattpad before realizing how stupid it was and deleting it. This is a better version, believe me.

    About two years ago, the Pines family defeated a powerful being. This being's name was Bill Cipher and, to this day, his origins and many other questions about him remain unsolved. 

    Some know more about him than others, but everyone who has encountered him can say the same thing: He's not to be trusted, under any circumstances. 

    To Bill Cipher, it was all a game. An amusing game full of gore and despair, with the Pines family in the lead role. The plan backfired when the twins, Stanley and Stanford, tricked Bill and erased him out of existence. 

    Or did they?

    As Bill Cipher sat on a one-seater couch in Stanley's mind, he chuckled. "Humans are so naïve," he said to himself. 

    Stanford had used a mind erasing device to erase Stanley's memories alongside Bill. When they'd thought all hope was lost on getting Stanley's memories back, Stanley miraculously started showing signs of getting his memories back and later got all of them back.

    The Pines family thought it was because the summer held many deep feelings, but Bill knew better as he was the reason Stanley remembered everything.

    The mind erasing device completely erased memories, it didn't store them somewhere in the mindscape. Before the gun had completely erased him, he had stored himself as well as Stanley's memories somewhere easy to reach. Bill had saved Stanley and himself, which was the most merciful thing he'd done in a couple of centuries. 

    And he was slowly regenerating. Bit by bit. The upcoming summer, he would be completely regenerated.

    He'd escaped his physical form, leaving it in Gravity Falls. Without that, he could pass the Gravity Falls Natural Law of Weirdness freely, but he'd have to be in a (fragile) mortal body. 

    But Bill already had a plan. He sat back and watched the memories Stanley had, mostly because they were amusing, and began thinking about what he should do about one of the most annoying and (for a human) powerful enemies he had: Dipper Pines. 


	2. They've Got No Idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two questions:  
> 1- Should I name Dipper and Mabel's parents?  
> 2- Should I do a first person point of view or continue w/ third person?
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

    Dipper Pines and Mabel Pines exited the school building with huge smiles on their faces. They only had a few hours to go until they finally hit the road to Gravity Falls, Oregon. Although their great-uncles most likely wouldn't be there, they still had friends as close as family members waiting for them; not to mention many mysteries. Now that Bill was gone, they could be reckless and let their guard down a little, as they doubted any creature could be equal to Bill.

    "I can't wait to see all of them again," Mabel told her twin brother, who only nodded in agreement.

    Dipper smiled, "Maybe I can continue on where Grunkle Ford left off. Though, now we have our parents coming with us." The two sighed in defeat. It wasn't like the two hated their parents. But if they told the weirdness they were about to dive into to their parents, they'd probably never see Gravity Falls again. That wasn't something the twins wanted.

    "We defeated Bill," Mabel encouraged, "We gave him a chase and outsmarted him. I think we can keep one little secret."

    "Yeah." The two walked to their house while chatting about what to do in Gravity Falls. If anyone overheard them, they could say that they were talking about a video game. Their whole life was going to be a video game at this rate.

    They entered the house and went upstairs, shutting the door behind them. Their room didn't have anything close to a triangle in it, and they liked to avoid triangles as much as possible. The two had grown paranoid, though Dipper was in a worse condition than Mabel. He always had nightmares about Bill and the Weirdmegaddon. His eye bags, which he claimed were caused by studying too much, were because of his nightmares and he felt as if Bill was still watching him. He was scared of being alone and had told Mabel that he could still hear Bill's laugh if it was quiet enough.

    Their parents had tried to get them a psychologist, but the twins had refused. If they told their parents or a psychologist what they had seen, they would be locked in a nuthouse for sure. Mabel, since she was in a better condition (thanks to her being locked in a Time Bubble most of the time), had told their parents that she'd take care of Dipper.

    Mabel always felt guilt when she looked at her twin brother. He had done so much for her, and yet she had abandoned him when he had needed her. It was her fault that Bill had possessed Dipper's body, her fault Weirdmegaddon happened, her fault that he was alone while she was having the time of her life. It was her fault that he'd left alone his dream of being Ford's apprentice, he'd left alone his own desires for hers. Now it was her turn to return the favor, and she was doing the best she could.

    "The first thing we'll do is get rid of all the Bill decorations," Dipper said as he studied the lumberjack hat Wendy had given him. He always wore it, no matter how hot the weather was. "Ford used to admire Bill as if he were a god of some sort, so there's a lot of Bill merchandise in the lab."

    "Yeah. But for now, no more talk about the Dorito. I wanna see the unicorns again. Hey, maybe we can see them together! Celestabellebethabelle will be _delighted_ to see me again!"

    "Mabel, your Grunkle Stan-ness is showing."

    "Kids," their mother called from downstairs, "come here for a minute!" The two exited their room and descended the stairs, seeing their father in the living room. They walked towards him and sat on the two-seater couch.

    Their father opened his mouth to only close it. He opened his mouth again, "Are... you sure you're alright?" Their parents knew nothing about how Mabel and Dipper's summer really had been, all they knew about it was the lie Mabel and Dipper had told them. So, they were a little bewildered about the twins' condition. They had wanted Dipper and Mabel to never see Gravity Falls again (and they had succeeded last summer) but the twins had begged them. Now, they were going as a family.

    "Of course," Dipper said in a cheery tone, "We're gonna see Gravity Falls again."

    "I couldn't contact Stan," their mother deadpanned.

    "He probably won't be in Gravity Falls this summer," Mabel replied, "He's a little busy."

    "How is he busy? He works in that attraction!"

    "He gave it up to a person named Soos. Soos is like a family member."

    "Where's he now?"

    Dipper and Mabel kept smiling. "He's at a relative's house," Dipper said. "They needed help and was really close to Grunkle Stan, so he quickly left after we were out of Oregon." Their parents had no more questions to ask, and the answers were logical.

    "I have a feeling this is going to be a weird summer," their father said as he sighed. Mabel and Dipper didn't say anything, but they thought the same thing: _They have no idea._

\------------

    Both Dipper and Mabel were amused to see that the driver hadn't changed. The driver was quick to offer Waddles the front seat while Dipper and Mabel grinned. Their parents, though, were left confused.

    The family sat at the back along with Waddles. Dipper and Mabel began talking about Gravity falls, excluding all the weirdness. Because of that, they were only able to talk about some friends and the scenery. Dipper and Mabel weren't crazy enough to believe they could keep their parents from learning about the weirdness, but they wanted them to expect a normal place just so the family didn't fight at the start of their vacation.

    For ten hours, they either slept or played games. After that, they'd finally arrived. Dipper and Mabel could see their friends waiting for them. The two quickly ran out of the bus while their parents and Waddles walked out. Wendy wore the pine tree cap, which the two were relieved at. That hat carried so many memories. While everyone was having a hug fest, the twins' parents stood there awkwardly.

    Soos hugged the twins' parents, "You must be Dipper and Mabel's parents. Hi, I'm Soos."

    "What up, I'm Wendy."

    "Pacifica Northwest."

    "Li'l ol' Gideon Gleeful. I've been wanting to meet y'all."

    "I'm Grenda!"

    "My name is Candy. It is very nice to meet you."

    The twins' parents just smiled. "It's very nice to meet you guys," the twins' mom said. The twins' father just nodded.

    "We have so much catching up to do," Mabel said energetically as they began walking in the direction of the Mystery Shack.

    "Yeah," Pacifica rolled her eyes as she said this, "I can't wait to tell you guys all about how much money my family lost."

    "Hey, it's not our fault your parents..." Wendy didn't finish the sentence once she saw Mabel's glare.

    "Never mind all that," Soos said. "Plus, you're not broke. You're just a normal citizen like us now."

    Dipper smirked, "It's not like the Northwest family actually found Gravity Falls _anyways_ so it's fitting." Mabel and Dipper laughed while Pacifica glared at them both. She eventually laughed with them, forgetting the fact that she could only have one pony.

     "I've been making progress of being a normal ol' kid," Gideon said. "I only had my friends beat up a bully once a month." The rest of the group sighed and they all continued talking, sometimes inviting the twins' parents into the conversation. When they entered the Mystery Shack, they all greeted Soos's girlfriend Melody and walked into the living room. No one sat on Grunkle Stan's seat, and the twins' parents who'd planned to sit on it were either kindly warned by the group or glared at by the twins.

    It felt strangely... out of place. Grunkle Stan wasn't around to make lame remarks like he always did, nor was Grunkle Ford around to interrupt them with a bizarre experiment or testing. But the twins and Soos didn't say any of that out loud and joined the conversation.

    Only Mabel noticed Dipper shiver and scoot a little closer to her. She just wrapped an arm around him and made him enter the conversation, hoping to get the message across: _You're not alone._


	3. Into the Woods... Too Soon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of fanfictions make Weirdmegaddon look like a fight with the gnomes (one of the easiest fights in the show), which is something I find unrealistic. Bill Cipher has tormented Dipper and Mabel more than even the most mature and grown person can handle, it is only natural for the twins to not be right in the head after fighting him again and again.
> 
> That's just a thought and complaint of mine. This chapter will mostly focus on relationships and the twins' condition, enjoy!

     _Dipper woke up, screaming. He felt as if he was slowly being suffocated and tried to take in deep breaths. There wasn't enough oxygen. He needed more oxygen. He needed more oxygen. He was going to die. He was going to die. He was going to_ die _._

_Tears were streaming down his face and his nose was running. Oh god, if he didn't get enough oxygen soon he'd die. He was hyperventilating now. He felt lightheaded._

_Suddenly, someone hugged him. They stroked his hair, rubbed his back and told him it was all going to be okay. After a while, he calmed down._

_"Thank you," he croaked out. The person pulled away._

_The person was Bill Cipher. Bill laughed, "Miss me?" Dipper tried to get away, but it was no use. Bill ripped off his arm, and Dipper screamed at the pain._

_"Amusing little Pine Tree," Bill mused and then tore off Dipper's other arm. It was too much pain to take in, it was all too much. The blood, the skin, the motionless arm Bill was waving around. Dipper wanted to scream again._

_But then an unfamiliar voice screamed his name. They screamed his name over and over again, until Dipper jolted awake._

Mabel was looking at him with panic in her eyes. Dipper sat up quickly, inspecting the room. He then grabbed Mabel's arm and harshly pulled her close and inspected her eyes.

    "How do I know you're not Bill?" he shouted, his voice cold and sharp. Dipper had tears streaming down his face, and he was tired. But he couldn't rest.

    "D-Dipper," Mabel choked out. She was crying. "B-Bill's dead. We ki-killed him, Dipper. He-he's gone. He's _gone_." Dipper didn't let go. "P-please, D-Dipper. L-look into my e-eyes, a-am I p-po-possessed?"

    Dipper then let go and let Mabel hug him. They were both sobbing by now. Dipper began chanting apologies, needing her to know how sorry he was. Why would he even suspect his own sister? Why was he this messed up?

    Mabel hugged him tightly, saying that it was all going to be okay. That they'd get over this in no time. But they both knew it wasn't true. They would never get over this. 

     "Y-you're Mabel Pines," Dipper whispered when he had ran out of tears, "You love anything cute and have weekly-crushes even though you're going to be fifteen soon. You love glitters in and on everything that's not edible."

    "And you're Dipper Pines," Mabel replied, "You're a dork and asocial. You can never talk to your crushes or people in general, and you love anything containing equations."

    "Can we share tonight, too?" Dipper asked. Back at home they'd already sold Mabel's bed since the twins slept (more like lay awake) together. It comforted them.

    Mabel chuckled a little, "Is that even a question?" They both laid down and began talking about things. They mostly complained about how they were going to finish the summer homework they'd been given. They talked like this all night, until the sun came up. 

    "I'm tired," Dipper said. 

    "We both are," Mabel replied. Mabel had her own fair share of nightmares, too. But at least she was saved with makeup. Dipper didn't have that privilege, since his eye bags were way darker and makeup would look too obvious unless a pro was involved. 

    Mabel stood up, "Let's get ready for the day. It's seven a.m. already." Dipper nodded.

    "You can use the bathroom first," Dipper said. Mabel exited the room, leaving Dipper to his thoughts.

    Dipper did nothing for a minute, trying to get his body to rest without sleeping even though he knew it was useless. He then stood up and dressed in a short sleeved white t-shirt and capri pants, neatly folding his pajamas and making the two beds. He was in the middle of unpacking his luggage when Mabel walked in. 

    Dipper went to the bathroom now, and quickly did whatever it was he did in the bathroom. Washing his face, a quick business, and brushing his teeth. After that, he returned to his room to find it Mabel-less, though he guessed she has gone to see what was for breakfast.

    He almost _ran_ downstairs. He hated being alone. But as he started getting closer to the kitchen, he could hear people shouting at each other.

    "Is this what you call fine, Mabel?" Dipper heard their dad shout. 

    "Dad, you can't expect us to get over this so quickly!" Mabel shouted back, "Do you think this type condition can be healed just like that?" 

    "We don't even know what's wrong with you two," their mom said, "Your letters were all so colorful and like you, and then you didn't send them anymore. We couldn't reach you guys! Then, the next thing we know, you two are hugging us as if you thought you were never going to see us anymore! Then you began showing signs of insomnia, depression and all of those mental disorders. And yet, you two don't even open up to us! You refuse to go to a psychologist!"

    "With all due respect to you dudes," Soos said a little nervously, "This is not cool. Don't yell at Mabel like this."

    "Stay out of it," their dad and mom snapped at the same time. That was the last straw for Dipper. He quickly walked into the kitchen.

    "Enough!" he shouted, gathering the attention of everyone. He shivered when he realized that he sounded too much like... _No, don't think about him now, Dipper._ he thought. His voice shook a little, despite all his efforts to not think about the yellow triangle, "Do-don't take your f-frustration out on us."

    "We just want to help," their mom argued softly.

    "We know," Mabel said. 

    "On a happier note, who wants pancakes?" Melody asked, holding up a plate which was a base for the tower of pancakes she'd made.

\-------------

    Mabel and Dipper told everyone they were going into the woods. While Melody and Soos had only told them to return by sunset, their parents had been a little reluctant to let them go alone. It took a great deal of begging, but at the end Dipper and Mabel had been granted permission.

    "Grunkle Ford undoubtedly knows a lot about him," Mabel said.

    Dipper continued for her, "We've managed to defeat him a lot of times, though Grunkle Ford only knew about his weapon and the circle."

    "So that means there may be even more ways to defeat him."

    "And the only way to destroy fear is to know how to destroy _the thing_ you fear, even if it is already destroyed."

    The two walked in the forest, and Dipper's hands itched for the Journals. With the Journals, or even one of them, they could easily find something that'd bring them one step closer to their goal. But alas, the Journals had been destroyed. They were on their own.

    "You breathed that thing like people breathed air," Mabel said, "You _must_ be a Journal by now." 

    "Yes, but I didn't completely memorize the invisible ink parts. I can't think of anything that would benefit us, but maybe the invisible ink had what we're looking for. Or the other Journals." Dipper inspected a strange looking plant. "Wonder what this is?"

    "I'm thinking something."

    "Don't drag Gideon into this."

    "Why not?"

    "I mean, this is _our_ issue. I don't think there's any sense in dragging other people into this. Plus, he's done so much for us in... that time. We couldn't have freed you if it wasn't for him." Mabel just huffed and the two kept walking. 

    Dipper kept looking over his shoulder. Just a glimpse of that too familiar shadow and he was going to run like hell, dragging Mabel with him. 

    _How is he going to chase me if he doesn't exist?_ Dipper thought, then shivered again. Why was Dipper acting like _him_? Dipper imagined Bill in his body and this time, he started trembling. His knees felt weak and he looked over his shoulder again. 

    One looked over their shoulder when the other wasn't looking, both expecting to hear that laughter, see that light whenever they looked over their shoulder. 

    "Maybe it was a little too soon to be completely on our own," Mabel suggested, her voice weak and shaky. Dipper could only mod in reply. He didn't trust his voice. 

    They held hands as they slowly made their way back. They felt as if Bill's eyes were everywhere, watching and judging them. It took all of their physical and mental strength to get out of the woods calmly, and without stumbling and falling. 

    The two walked back into the Mystery Shack, not even bothering to hide their pathetic state. The house was eerily quiet, which made the twins panic. 

    "Soos? Mom? Dad? Melody?" Mabel desperately called out. Dipper felt himself tense and panic. The said people came out of the living room, which relieved the twins. The two sighed and leaned on each other for support.

    "You two are back way before you usually are," Soos stated. "I don't know whether to be happy or nervous about that."

    "Well," Melody smiled, "at least we have some more helpers now! I wanted to bake a huge cake and invite everyone you two know and celebrate your arrival officially! But baking a cake as big as I want will require extra hands, so..."

    Mabel grinned, " _Alright_!" Dipper smiled brightly and the six went into the kitchen.

    "Let's bake the greatest cake ever," Dipper said cheerfully.

    "Don't need to ask us twice," Soos and Melody replied together, making the couple blush and rest chuckle at their synchronization. 


	4. Can You?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I'm going too fast. So, I thought of a good schedule: I will update this story every Saturday at about 8 am PST (Pacific Standart Time).
> 
> Anyways, buckle up! *builds her own Fearamid*

**\--Somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean--**

    "Stanley," Ford shouted to be heard through the storm, throwing a spear at his twin brother. Stanley caught it with ease and threw it at the monster (which looked like a mutated squid). The spear stabbed the monster's head, probably severely damaging the brain. Blood gushed out as the monster sunk back into the ocean. 

    The twins didn't have time to congratulate one another, as another monster began attacking the ship. 

    _Sixer sure was right. Something weird is going on here,_ a familiar voice said in his head. Stanley froze mid-punch and the monster nearly took a bite of his shoulder if Ford hadn't pulled him away on time. 

    "Stanley? What happened?" Ford asked and shot the monster with a weird science-y gun. Ford had a lot of those, but since the batteries weren't easy to come by he preferred to not use them until they were at their destination. Stanley felt a bit guilty seeing his twin use that for his sake.

    Was Stanley going crazy, hearing voices? Was his age finally catching up to him? Whatever the case was, Stanley didn't see the need to make his brother worry over nothing. They'd defeated the smart-ass demon, and there was nothing more to it.

    _That's where you're wrong,_ the voice taunted him in that annoying voice. Stanley's eyes were wide.

    Ford looked shaken up, "Stanley? Stanley, tell me what's wrong!"

 _Did you really think that you could regain your memories so_ easily _? You owe me your entire life, you know that right?_ I _was the one who stored your memories somewhere safe._  

    Stanley couldn't keep the fear out of his voice as he shouted, "He's talking to me, Ford!"

    "Who is?"

    "That triangle demon!"

    "That's impossible, we defeated him! It's alright to hallucinate, Stanley, I hear his laugh anytime it's quiet! He enters my dreams every night, too! The voice you're hearing is nothing more than fear!"

    That was logical. Stanley believed his brother, since his brother had had it worse than a lot of people. Stanley wouldn't be surprised that Ford wasn't right in the head after his history with the triangle demon, and Stanley wouldn't be surprised if he himself was not right in the head after all he'd seen.

    _That_ is _logical, but isn't the case here. I'm real, Stanley, and I'm in your mind. I'm the one who saved you, you owe me. I don't like to keep people indebted to me, and I'm sure you don't like being indebted to me. How about a deal to save us both?_

    "What do you want?" Stanley hissed. Ford just looked at him in understanding. Ford had gone through this, too.

_I doubt you have money. And you know what they say: "If you can't pay back with money, pay back with your body." I take that saying to heart._

That's when Stanley started to feel pain. This wasn't normal pain, this wasn't the pain you felt when someone had cut you with a knife or anything like that. This was pain in Stanley's mind, pain that was so unimaginably sharp that Stanley couldn't even make a sound. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry and hold onto something. But he couldn't because the pain was too much. 

    He felt as if his head was being forced open with someone's bare hands. His body wouldn't listen to him. His mind was blank. He could sense nothing but sharp, twisted pain. 

    _The pain humans feel is nothing but an illusion,_ the demon said cheerfully in his mind. _That's why I find it fun. Aren't you happy, Stanley? You are the first human to ever feel true pain._

Stanley wasn't happy, but he was in peace soon enough. He was free of the pain, and was floating around in eternal darkness at the moment.

    Stanley opened his eyes, but he wasn't Stanley. The demon, Bill Cipher, opened Stanley Pines's eyes and used Stanley Pines's mouth to grin sadistically.

    Ford dropped his twin--no, the _demon_ \--and ran to the edge of the boat. Bill Cipher stood up and laughed. 

    "Miss me, Sixer?" he said _in_   _Stanley Pines's voice_.

    "How did you survive?" Ford shouted. He wasn't afraid, he was _enraged_. How dare Bill Cipher use his brother's voice, body, mind? How dare he?

    "In the most simple version of wording it, I stored your precious brother's memories somewhere in his mindscape along with myself. It wasn't a simple feat, you know. I also had to wait and regenerate while watching this guy's memories."

    "Get out of his body this instant!"

    "Or _what_? Will you try to erase me again, Sixer? The same trick won't work on me twice. Especially when there's no one left for you to swap places with." Bill Cipher then took out the knife Stanley always had with him and held it to his throat.

    "What are you doing?" This time, Ford sounded scared. Bill Cipher smirked. 

    "I want you to steer this ship exactly where the anomalies occur. Unless you want your brother to die." Ford's knees were shaking under him, and his eyes were wide. "Tick tock..." Bill Cipher said anxiously and held the blade a little closer. 

    Ford began steering the ship. His body was sagged as if he was carrying the sky on his shoulders. 

    Nothing attacked the ship, because every monster sensed the dangerous aura of Bill Cipher. Bill Cipher smirked, "This is why I like humans. They're so easy to boss around if you have the right key."

    Ford made the decision fast. He was a valuable piece in this sick game Cipher loved so dearly. If he were to kill himself, Bill might hit a dead-end. Stanley had a talent for beating things up, but he didn't have academic skills. Stanley would only be good for combat and... Oh god, Dipper and Mabel! Ford wasn't the only valuable piece in the game, actually he doubted he was as important as the twins. 

    Bill wanted to use Stanley as bait for Dipper and Mabel, and as a leash to Ford. Stanley was good for combat, while Ford was good for both combat and planning. If Ford was at Bill's beck and call, he doubted Dipper and Mabel could do much to Bill. No, the twins would try and _fail_. And they would also... Ford didn't want to think about it.

    Ford now had determination. He didn't care if Stanley was still in there, watching this and trying to gain back control. He didn't care if doing this would break Stanley's heart. Because what Stanford was about to do was one of the greatest things he would ever do for the world. No, it would be the greatest thing he would ever do for _his family_. Screw the world.

    "I see that change of stance," Bill Cipher stated. "Don't try to be a hero, we all know you're really just a coward. I won't allow you to kill yourself, Sixer. You're very valuable to me."

    Ford ran. Cipher was holding the knife to Ford's throat in no time thanks to Stanley's physical condition. 

    "Kill me," Ford sneered. Stanley always had surpassed Ford in anything that involved sports, but Ford had thought he should've been at least on par with his twin due to the fighting he's done in the other dimension. Seems like Stanley hadn't given up on his body even after he was a senior.

    "You know I won't do that, _friend_."

    "You won't, _muse_? I'll kill you myself, then."

    "You want to kill me? You don't seem to have any mind eraser gun on you at the moment. Or are you saying that you will kill me _physically_? Can you kill your brother, Sixer? It shouldn't be a problem at all, actually. You always pushed him away, so why should you have any love for him? He was the reason you were stuck in another dimension, he was the reason you lost the chance to go to your dream university, he was the reason you met me; after all."

    "Shut up," Ford hissed. It hurt to hear this in Stanley's voice.

    "Can you kill Stanley Pines, Stanford? _Can you_?"

    "Shut up!" Bill Cipher only turned them around and got Ford back on the steering wheel. 

    Bill laughed, "Lead the way, _captain_. If you can't be of any use to your family, you might as well be of use to me."

    And Ford could do nothing but steer the ship. He couldn't kill himself, he couldn't kill Bill... This was the only thing he _could_ do. 

    He could only count on Mabel and Dipper. What kind of a great-uncle was he, loading this burden on his great-niece and great-nephew yet again? 

    He wanted to cry and scream, but he wasn't going to give Bill Cipher the pleasure to see how broken he was. So, he only stared dead ahead and steered the ship. 

    Because that was the only thing he _could_ do. 


	5. Something's Wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To hell with scheduled updates. I'll do them when school starts.
> 
> I will now have Grunkle Stan corners in my notes ('cause we all need a Grunkle Stan in a fanfic and sadly, I may or may not have killed him off)
> 
> Grunkle Stan corner: When life hands you gnomes; make 'em puke and sell the puke saying that it's Skittles when it's really gnome puke.

    Dipper didn't have the patience to deal with this. He hadn't had the proper sleep to deal with this. Dipper absolutely, certainly didn't want to deal with this.

    And now here he was, dealing with this. 

    "Our queen has returned!" Norman shouted with glee as he and a lot of gnomes began running towards Mabel. 

    Just that, he could deal with. But their parents were also with them, looking like they had seen Dipper's Internet history.

    Mabel looked at Dipper and then the gnomes, "Seriously? I was hoping these creeps had already moved  _on_!" Dipper rarely carried anything that might hurt him on his person due to _various_ reasons, and he was sadly fresh out on leaf blowers in his back pocket. 

    "That's not the issue, Mabel," Dipper said as his twin was tackled by the gnomes. His tone was very calm, as was his stance, like this happened to them on a daily occasion. "The issue is that we have our _parents_ with us, and that I have neither the _patience_ nor have I had the right amount of _sleep_ to deal with a bunch of _gnomes_ who bathe in mentally unstable squirrels that run back and forth!" He began kicking the gnomes, sending them off flying in random directions. 

    "I'll have you know that bathing in squirrels is a privilege! Not every gnome can afford it!" Norman shouted defensively. Some of the gnomes puked rainbows, and Norman appeared to be fighting the urge to join them.

    "Like kidnapping innocent twelve year olds and trying to force them into being your queen?" Mabel asked, standing up and trying to brush her clothes free of filth and wrinkles the best she could. 

    "Exactly!" Norman agreed and then proceeded to puke. The twins took their parents' hands and began power walking past the creatures Ford had actually found fascinating. Well, it was apparent that neither he nor his twin had been captured and almost forced to be their queen. 

    "W-what were those?" the twins' mom asked in a shaky voice.

    "Gnomes," Dipper answered. "Pretty gross creatures, though they can be good bait for the enemy or can be used for their numbers when used in or as an army." He was surprised by how calm he sounded, despite the fact that his brain was freaking out and trying to find a good explanation for this. He thought back to the gnomes' short-lasting fight with Gideon. Dipper was so going to ask for that whistle Gideon used to have (and maybe still has) when they saw each other again.

    "But, w-what?.." their father couldn't continue, and the twins really couldn't blame him. 

    "Gravity Falls is filled with anomalies as such as those," Mabel explained quickly and quietly. They didn't need to be out of the public to explain everything since everyone knew about this. "Gnomes, fairies, unicorns and much more."

    "A-and you two wanted to come here _why_?" their mother shrieked. "You keep having nightmares, you're paranoid, you're insane because of the anomalies and yet... We're getting out of here."

     "We're not," Dipper replied impatiently. "We have unfinished business to complete here, and we have many friends and research to do. You can't take that away from us."

     "It's for your own good..." their dad tried to say but Dipper snapped.

     "Do you have any idea how many times we've heard that?" Dipper shouted, facing his parents. "No one knows what's good for us except for ourselves! And don't you dare try to act like you know what to do when you don't even know what we've been through! Try to listen to us a little! Try to respect our desicions a little! That's the least you could do as our parents!" 

    The people who'd been passing by had stopped their talking and movement to listen to Dipper's rant. Dipper just stormed away, too angry to think straight. Mabel followed him leaving their parents at the mercy of all the glares given to them. 

    Dipper could hear Bill's laugh. He could almost see the demon, looking at him with pride. 

  _That's right kid, destroy everything!_ Dipper heard him say. _Who needs family anyways? You can always join_ me _!_

Dipper was not having a good day. He wanted to cry, he wanted to just commit suicide and end all of this. He could see Bill, he could hear Bill. Even though he knew it was all just tricks his mind was playing on him, it all felt so real.

    And now he had snapped at his family, making them worry and hate him even more now. He felt a hand on his shoulder and stopped, turning around. It was Mabel, giving him a reassuring smile.

    Dipper didn't smile back.

\----------

    Soos had been the one explaining Weirmegaddon to the twins' parents. Melody had been with the twins in their room, trying to cheer them up and cover the sounds of the bad memory with music and funny stories.

    When the twins were allowed to come back to the living room, they were met with pitiful stares from their parents. Dipper and Mabel didn't want pity.

    Soon after, Gideon and Pacifica stopped by. While Pacifica told Dipper that he looked like a zombie, Gideon only showered Mabel with compliments.

    Dipper and Mabel really didn't want to admit that Pacifica's blonde hair reminded them of the dream demon and made them subconsciously stay away from her. Pacifica didn't seem to judge, although she looked disappointed. 

    "We're trying to find more ways to defeat Bill," Mabel said out of the blue. Dipper elbowed her but she showed no sign of backing down. Gideon and Pacifica looked at the twins in surprise.

    "We, like, already defeated him so what's the point?" Pacifica asked.

    "Well, defeating him certainly didn't satisfy us. I'm sure you've all noticed our illness by now. We're trying to cure it on our own, we need to feel a lot safer than we do now. If Bill was alive, I'm sure we'd be and are like open doors to him." 

    "The Journals have been destroyed," Gideon said, "How are you gonna find somethin'?" 

    Dipper took charge, "I've memorized the third Journal, all except a little bit of writing written with invisible ink. But I've got nothing that can help us. We were hoping the other Journals could help."

    "Sorry, Dipper. The third Journal is the only one with common sense, the Author basically worshipped Cipher in the second one. That can be seen clearly from the fact that while the second Journal has a manual of the summoning, the third Journal has a manual on how to stop him."

    "Anything weird, anything _extra_ out of the ordinary. Something that makes you think of Bill, something that you can't understand the reasoning of."

    The four kids began their brainstorming.

    Gideon sat back, "I remember somethin' 'bout a Phoenix. Though it's not much of a fighter from what I read."

    "What did the Journal say?" Pacifica asked curiously.

    "Well, it said that the Phoenix's feathers can heal any wound, and even make a person immortal if used correctly. It said that the Author used a rabbit to test the immortalizin', and that the bunny was still up an' at 'em way past its average lifetime. It also said somethin' about the Phoenix burnin' itself and bein' reborn from the ashes."

    Dipper stroked his chin, "Feathers that heal? Would it be able to heal a person mentally, though? According to Greek myths, the Phoenix had relations to the god Apollo with its beautiful music even Apollo stopped his chariot to hear and flying its cracked egg to Apollo's altar after being reborn. Apollo is the god of medicine alongside other things, but medicine is only good for physical wounds and only holding back mental illness for a period of time."

    "Maybe we should let the others know about this," Pacifica suggested. "More heads brainstorming would be a lot, like, faster." They all nodded.

    The twins' parents gently knocked the door and walked into the room. "What are you all doing?" the twins' mother asked in a gentle voice. 

    Mabel opened her mouth to answer but was cut short by the sound of the front door being forcibly opened. Foot steps hurriedly made their way upstairs, alongside Soos and Melody shouting at the unknown person to stop and get out.

    Dipper and Mabel got to their feet and Dipper pointed a laser beam gun (which he'd gotten from Ford's lab) towards the opened door. Their parents quickly got behind Dipper. 

    McGucket barged into the room but stopped short when he saw the gun. "Dipper," his voice sounded desperate. "I'm not Bill and this is an emergency!" 

    Dipper's hold on the gun didn't waver, "I have had a hard time trusting those words ever since Bill took over my body. Nothing personal, just tell us what you must from there."

    McGucket say on the floor. He was dressed in a suit and had real glasses, but the insanity in his eyes hadn't faded. _It'll_ never _fade,_ Dipper thought sadly. He opened the laptop which had been tucked under his arm, the same laptop Bill had once destroyed. The thought made Dipper shiver.

    Dipper got a little closer to McGucket as the latter typed away. Seeing no slits, Dipper relaxed and sat next to the man and let everyone else stare at the screen behind him. 

    A blue map appeared in the screen, like those radar maps you see in movies. There was a red dot somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

    "What are we lookin' at?" Gideon asked. 

    McGucket pointed at the red dot, "The red dot is the Stan-o'-War, the ship your great uncles sailed on. They've been on that _same_ spot, never moving, for days now." 

    "Maybe they're just resting?" Mabel suggested.

    "Stanley and Stanford didn't sail to catch up like they told the town," McGucket argued. "They sailed because anomalies began appearing somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Knowing Stanford, they won't rest until they are confident the anomalies are normal like the ones in Gravity Falls, peaceful."

    "Do you know where the anomalies even are?" Pacifica asked. "Like, for all we know, the anamolies _might_ be there."

    "Stanford's and my calculations never fail," McGucket replied. "And our calculations said that the anamolies are here," he pointed at a spot North a lot of miles away from the boat.  

    Dipper heard Bill laugh even louder. His mind was bursting with ideas. "Something's wrong," Dipper said in a small and shaky voice. 

    And then, suddenly, the dot disappeared. 

    "Indeed," McGucket agreed in a dark voice. While McGucket, Dipper, Mabel, Gideon and Pacifica looked at the screen grimly; Dipper and Mabel's parents looked horrified.


	6. Panic! at the Mystery Shack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> McGucket is my favorite character in the show, and it warmed my heart to see him forgive Ford. 
> 
> Let's take a look inside Mabel's mind this chapter, huh? Enjoy!

    If a person ever asked Mabel what her one true fear was, she'd say it was losing her brother and friends. It was the truth, but only the half of it. Her one true fear was Bill telling everyone about what she had done that one summer. Bill telling everyone that she had caused the apocalypse just to have a little more summer, to have friends that weren't even real, to live her fantasies while everyone else literally walked through Hell. 

    Who would stay as a monster's friend or sibling? Mabel was the reason Dipper's condition was this bad. She was the reason Bill had gotten a physical form. She was the reason that both of them were never going to be okay for eternity. 

    And now, seeing Dipper's face, Mabel could only blame herself. It was stupid to blame herself for a stupid red dot disappearing, but she didn't know what else she should do.

    Dipper wrapped his arm around her and she did the same to him. While Dipper tried his best to make her feel better, Mabel just sobbed. If she was feeling like this right now, what was Dipper feeling? Was Dipper hearing Bill's laugh, even seeing him? 

    She really didn't want to know. She didn't want to know anything about Dipper's condition because it was slowly driving herself insane, too. Her brother--that awkward, shy genius--was gone. He wasn't awkward nor shy anymore. He was _paranoid_ , _scared_. And that made Mabel scared.

    Dipper let go of her when she calmed down. "Th-the fi-first th-thing w-w-we shou-should do i-is..." Dipper didn't continue but it sounded awfully like he _couldn't_ continue, as if something was forcefully disabling him from continuing. He covered his ears and shut his eyes tightly. 

    Mabel rubbed his back, trying to comfort him. But Dipper only strained his body even more. "Shut up, shut up, shut up..." he chanted those two words over and over again. Mabel, despite seeing Dipper break down like this too many times to count, couldn't ever get used to how desperate, _broken_ Dipper sounded and looked. 

    Mabel shook Dipper until he finally looked at her. His eyes carried too much emotion, and Mabel wanted to look away. Mabel wanted to run away, she didn't want to see her brother like this. "You listen and you listen good," Mabel scolded with a weak and choked up voice. "Bill is dead and he's never going to come back. Can you repeat that, Dipper?" 

    "B-Bill i-i-is de-d-dead a-an-and he-he's n-ne-never go-going t-to co-come b-ba-back."

    "Again."

    "B-Bill is d-dead a-and he's ne-never g-going to co-come b-back."

    "Again."

    "B-Bill is dead a-and he's n-never going to come b-back."

    "Again."

    "B-Bill is dead and he's never going to come back."

    Mabel hugged him, "Good. Remember that." Dipper hugged her back half heartedly and Mabel was too scared to wonder what was going through his head.

    "What if it's Bill?" Dipper asked in a small voice. "W-we erased Grunkle Stan but he got his memories back. What if that brought..." 

    "You're thinkin' too much," Gideon replied a bit too quickly. He sounded shaken up, but who wouldn't be after seeing Dipper breaking down like that? 

    "Yeah," Pacifica agreed. She sounded a little scared.

   McGucket looked like he was choking on something, "I hate to say this bu' we have to keep our options open. We have to assume... that Triangle is still up 'n' kickin'." 

    The group looked back at the laptop, wanting to see that dot appear magically. Wanting to hear one of the old mans' voice telling them that it was just a storm disabling the GPS or that Stanley had played with random stuff without knowing what they were. 

    Neither happened. The map remained free of any kind of red.

\------------

    Even Soos's grandma had joined their little meeting, which was a little weird. 

    "So what you're saying is?.." Wendy asked, looking a little confused and scared.

    Robbie rolled his eyes, "There's no way Bill is still alive."

    "It's the most logical explanation we have," McGucket replied. "Unless you two have some magic, randomly logical reasons up your sleeves?"

    The two teenagers said nothing. 

    I... I don't want to go through that again," Candy complained. Grenda wrapped an arm around her and nodded in agreement.

    "This is worse than anything we've faced before," Dipper explained sharply and unhelpfully. "While Weirdmegaddon affected only Gravity Falls due to the Gravity Falls Natural Law of Weirdness Magnetism, now it's going to affect the entire world _but_ Gravity Falls."

    "I want my anime to be Bill-free!" Soos shouted. No one joined him nor smiled.

    "We used the Mystery Shack, courtesy of McGucket's blueprints, to bring the battle to Bill last time. But Bill's forces will be stronger and the Mystery Shack alone cannot withstand it. If we want to bring the fight to him, we must somehow fight in Gravity Falls where Bill will be in the weakest state."

    "But we're all immediately focusing on Bill Cipher here," the twins' mother argued. "There may be another reason why the GPS stopped working."

    McGucket shook his head, "It's not impossible but it's _very_ unlikely, ma'am. That GPS is one I made personally with the help of Stanford. It isn't easy to be located or to be smashed or anything. It'd be indestructible to normal beings and it's impossible for natural disasters to disable it either, no matter how strong they may be. It's either Bill or... something as strong, if not stronger."

    "What are the odds of it being Time Baby?" Mabel asked. "I remember when Dipper and I time traveled into the future and saw Time Baby wrecking the world. And we also saw him at Glabnar. He looks pretty strong."

    Dipper studied the table, "Do you think Time Baby would have the patience to bother with humans? Ah, where's Blendin when you need him?"

    "Who's Blendin?" Mabel's father asked. 

    "A time traveler from the year twenty shnevity twelve," Mabel replied. "He's the only one we are familiar with who knows Time Baby even a little."

    McGucket cleared his throat to gain the attention of the room, "For now, we have to assume it's Bill. He's too much of a clever and strong entity, he must've found a loophole to escape his death. When Gravity falls and the earth becomes sky, fear the beast with just one eye."

     "What is that, old man?" Robbie asked.

    "A prophecy I heard when I accidentally glimpsed at the other side of the portal," McGucket explained. "Ford had been tricked with the cheap flattery Bill offered, and built a portal that led to many universes with the help of Bill and I. Of course, it was Bill who did the leading. When we tried to do a dummy experiment, I got sucked in just enough to see a sight that drove me to the edge of my sanity, and this prophecy was the only thing that had been on my mind for a short period of time."

    "What did you see?" Wendy questioned.

    "Too much. After Bill got a physical form in Gravity Falls, I had thought that Weirdmegaddon was what I had seen. But now, I am not so sure..."

    Dipper's face looked too hostile to be his own, which scared Mabel. Instead of that, she began focusing on how McGucket sounded more like a professor when he was with people he didn't know much about. 

    Dipper stood up, "If Bill has Grunkle Stan and Ford, and gets his hands on the anamolies, he will be too powerful. But there isn't much we can do about that since the Stan-o'-War could be anywhere by now. So, the only thing we _can_ do is to stock up on power ourselves."

    "How do we do that?" Gideon asked.

    "The only way we can," Mabel replied. "We experiment and ask the creatures what they know."


	7. Research

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stan's corner: There're two types of people in this world: the clever ones and the dumb ones. Wanna know a secret? The clever ones are the dumbest.
> 
> Short chapter, this one.

* * *

    Bill chuckled. "I wonder what Shooting Star and Pine Tree are doing right now?.."

    "I'm positive they're preparing to kill you," Ford replied. He was chained against a wall, his arms and legs couldn't be moved. 

    "Oh, I believe you. But the question is: _Will_ they be able to kill me? Will they be able to kill their dear _Grunkle Stan_?"

    "Why would you think they'll kill Stanley?"

    "I'm not leaving this body. It's great despite it being old! The muscles, the health... Pine Tree's body was too scrawny, to be honest."

    "What did you just say?"

    "He didn't tell you? Once, Pine Tree let me into his body. A worse case than yours, since I threw his consciousness into the Mindscape. But he's a smart fellow, I'll give him that. Smarter than you ever were." Ford didn't say anything, trying to process the information given to him.

    Bill stretched. "Ya know, I don't think I've met a creature as fascinating as Pine Tree. He sacrifices everything he wants just so his selfish, _dear_ sister can be happy. I'd love to torture him until he's _begging_ me to kill someone else just so he can live. That'd be loads of fun."

    "You won't be able to crush him that easily, Cipher. Dipper and Mabel have outsmarted you more than once, they'll do it again and for the last time this summer."

    "Yes, they'll trick me one last time this summer. But who says that _I'll_ die and not them?"

    Ford would've loved to reply to that, but Bill had already walked out of the room. Ford tried to break the chains on his arms, trying to clutch his arms close to his chest. Flexing didn't work either. He sighed. 

    This was not good. Weirdmegaddon hadn't been a picnic, yes, but it would be like a Sunday stroll if Bill made Weirdmegaddon happen in almost all of the civilized parts on the Earth except Gravity Falls. The townsfolk would never be enough to defeat Bill then, as Bill would have _countless_ governments on his side. Ford tried not to let that discourage him. (Keyword: _tried_.)

    Was this battle already over? The minute Bill took over Stanley's body, had they lost? 

 

    While Ford was too busy discouraging himself, Dipper and Mabel--alongside their friends and family--were searching the forest and interrogating many of the creatures that lived there.

    They had no lead as what Bill was doing or when Bill would unleash the inter dimensional criminals (aka his friends) into this world and break all Hell loose. But, they knew that they couldn't go down without fighting.

    Even if this wasn't Bill and was a whole other creature altogether, Dipper and Mabel really needed to beat that sucker down. Let off some of the steam that had been inside them for almost two years. 

    Dipper almost grinned at the thought. 


	8. FBI? More Like FBR

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stan's Corner: When there're no cops around or the end of the world is gonna happen soon, anything's legal! 
> 
>  
> 
> Haha this is gonna be a great chapter.

    Dipper was awake while Mabel slept. He was surprised to see that he was at more peace than ever when he was looking for a way to kill Bill, which was fucked up no matter how much you sugarcoated it. 

    Dipper wasn't just fighting with Bill anymore, not since he came back to California after Weirdmegaddon. He was now fighting with both Bill and a part of himself. The part that wanted to feel strong again, just like how he had felt when Bill had possessed his body. The part that wanted to cause destruction. The part of Dipper that was just like Bill.

    Dipper hid it. He kept it to himself, he locked it up and shoved it to the back of his head. Because, really, that was all he _could_ do. He didn't want Mabel to worry about him even more than she does now. 

    He turned his back to Mabel's direction and doubled over in a protective manner. McGucket had defended Dipper's random theory of the being that tampered with the GPS being Bill, but it was no lie that Dipper simply  _needed_ to believe it was Bill. 

    He sobbed quietly as he heard the voices laugh at and insult and threaten him. He wanted it all to stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.

    When Dipper finally ran out of tears, he washed his face and sat on his bed. They weren't having much luck on finding out anything else that could defeat Bill. Dipper's eyes widened. They didn't have anything, but what if someone else did? What if there were different anomalies in different locations? 

    And Dipper knew just who to ask.

    Trying to be as quiet as possible, he quickly began digging around under the carpet in front of the vending machine. Finally, he grabbed a small business card and sighed in relief.

\--------------

    "Dude, _connections_!" Wendy said in awe. 

    "I'm not even going to ask," Dipper's mom said.

    "I will!" Diper dad replied. 

    "I thought you had thrown that away," Mabel said. "Plus, are you sure they'll remember us? We brainwashed them the last time."

    " _What_?" the entire room except for Soos and the Pines twins cried out in panic.

    "Stealing radioactive waste is harder than movies make it out to be," Soos explained unhelpfully. 

   " _Anyways_ ," Dipper said. "Gravity Falls has fantastic anomalies but we haven't had much luck out in the forest. There must be other kinds of anomalies out there in the world and the US government must know about it. The FBI agents are our only connections to the government."

    "You know that we're probably breakin' some sort of law by doin' this, right?" Gideon asked.

    "When there are no cops around, anything's legal!" Mabel and Dipper said at the same time and laughed. Meanwhile, their parents looked like they were questioning their existence.

    "Here goes nothing," Dipper sighed and dialed the number. It rang thrice before it was picked up. 

    "Agent Powers speaking," the monotone voice greeted.

    "Agent Powers! This is Dipper Pines, the guy who summoned zombies on you and your partner the summer before the last. Sorry about that, by the way." Dipper greeted, not at all sorry.

    "Why have you called me?"

    "I'll cut right to the chase. Try not to freak out, please. You may be our last resort or whatever. I trust you were in Gravity Falls during Weirdmegaddon. The same thing, or maybe even worse, is going to happen to the rest of the world in a short time and we need all the help we can get."

    "Are you aware that prank calling federal agents will get you a lifetime of prison?" 

    "Then it is a very good thing this isn't a prank, not that jail will matter if the world ends."

    "What do you expect us to do?"

    "You want to investigate anomalies, aren't I right? I want you to figure out what kind of anomalies the government is hiding from the rest of us."

    "That's too much to ask for."

    "Agent Powers, let's assume you don't help us and this creature takes over the entire dimension--and trust me, he will if we don't stop him in time. Will you have a flashback to this conversation and think, ' _Wow, I was a complete retard_.'? You will, and thinking back on the past will do absolutely nothing." 

    There was a moment of silence before the agent responded with, "I'll see what I can do," and hung up. 

    Pacifica rolled her eyes, "Mabel, get your awkward brother back." 

    McGucket looked at Dipper gravely, "Looks like your mental state has really done a number on you, kid."

     Dipper said nothing because there was nothing to say. He just shrugged and played with the business card, trying to think about what might kill Bill. 


	9. I haven't updated in a long time

This is not a chapter. 

 

I was planning and preparing to release a chapter on Ariel and Alex Hirsch's birthday, but research combined with writer's block has really done a number on me. 

I hope you can forgive my tardiness. The chapter's still a draft and I'm still researching for various reasons. And I cannot think of a way to make the 9th chapter eventful, because I want it to mean something but it really won't have any significant details. 

 

I hope that I haven't lost the few readers I have because of this. But I completely understand if you quit reading, because an author isn't supposed to be like this. Anyways, hope you all have a good day and I'm very sorry.


	10. Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dipper's slowly giving in to the emotionless part of him. I wonder what will become of him... :)
> 
> Bill had possessed Dipper, using his mind and body while Dipper could do nothing but watch. So, since Bill did use Dipper's mind, it's only natural that a part of Dipper's mind think exactly like Bill. And the other part is slowly getting taken over by Bill's way of thinking. I hope that cleared some stuff up.
> 
> Damn research is hard... I don't wanna go through it again :(

    "What's in it for me?" the pixie demanded.

    "Uh... You get to not die a horrible death caused by a yellow triangle guy?" Mabel replied nervously. The pixie shook its head.

    "Come up with a better lie," it said and tried to fly away. Dipper quickly grabbed its feet.

    "You don't have to tell us a creature," Dipper said. "Just an abnormal area would be fine." 

    "Kid, this whole place is abnormal for mere humans."

    "Even by your standards."

    "Well, there _is_ something... But I demand something in return!"

    "What do you want?"

    The pixie grinned, "Just a scale of a certain creature. I can't get close enough in fear of it eating me, but big humans like you could do the trick!"

    "Which creature?"

    "It's always a pleasure doing business with humans. The creature is a Cockatrice. They can turn you into stone or simply kill you with simple gestures, but their scales make fine alcohol."

    "Tell us more about the creature." 

    "Dipper," Mabel snapped. "We can find abnormal stuff just fine on our own!"

    The pixie smiled. "It has the head and claws of a rooster and the body of a dragon. It can turn you to stone if it looks at you, poison you with its deadly breath and kill you if you touch it."

    "How are we going to give you a scale without touching it?" Dipper asked, crossing his arms. "And if its scales are deadly, how are you going to make alcohol with its scale?"

    "You just bring me the scale or the deal's off."

    Dipper grinned. "We wouldn't want that, would we now? How does this evening sound?"

\------------

    "How are we going to get Cockatrice thing? We can't breathe or touch it, and we have to catch it by surprise! We don't even know where they are!" Mabel fumed.

    "The pixie wanted scales, right?" Dipper asked, already having a plan. Not a very goody-two-shoes plan, but a plan nonetheless.

    "Yes?.."

    "I say we give her a little more than what she asked for. We're going to need a big, metal cage with the smallest holes possible."

    "I don't know what you're thinking, Dipper, but I don't like it. This isn't your normal tone nor way of speaking."

    "We need to find weapons against whatever we're fighting as soon as possible! The clock's ticking and the agents still haven't called us back. We need to take some sort of action, and I don't care what we have to do in order for us to make a move."

    "Dipper, maybe you should just sle--"

    "I'm perfectly fine, Mabel, I don't need you to babysit me. I'm going to the lab to try to find things that'll help us, you with me or not?"

    Mabel looked at Dipper with worried and hurt eyes before nodding. The two twins typed in the code at the vending machine and descended the stairs. They got on the elevator and descended to the middle floor.

    Dipper didn't know what the second floor was like and he seriously didn't know what to expect. But he certainly hadn't expected a bunch of cages with a bunch of animals inside them.

    "This... This is horrible!" Mabel cried out, looking at the creatures that had probably given up on life the minute they realized they were never going to get out from behind these bars.

    Dipper inspected a rather gross looking one. "Well, they might be horrible monsters--"

    " _We're_ the horrible monsters here, Dipper! Look at these guys... They didn't choose to be born in a different species, they don't deserve to be treated like this..."

    "Whatever. Let's just find something that can help us."

    "You know what, no! You've been acting strangely since we went back to Cali! I didn't mind it at first because, hello, hallucinating lunatics here; but now you're acting like... _him_  all the time! The Dipper _I_ know would be horrified at this sight, he would show kindness to these monsters as long as they didn't act strangely towards him!"

    "Acting like who?"

    "Like... Like _Bill_! There, I said it! You've been acting like Bill and that is _not_ okay!"

    "Acting like Bill? You're being paranoid, Mabel."

    "Oh, _am_ I? I know what Bill is like, Dipper, and _this_ is what Bill is like! He doesn't care about anything other than his own benefits, and that is what you're doing right now! You just want your freaking cage, you don't care for all these tortured beings! And that call with the agent guys, that wasn't like you at all!"

    "We're trying to save the world, Mabel. If we don't do this, it won't matter if these monsters are in a cage or free; either way, they're dead. And the government guys needed to know how serious this was because _they're_ in danger, too!"

    "But my examples don't end there, Dipper. Face it, you're like him... I... I don't want you to be like him, Dipper..."

    "Ah, there's a cage that's suitable for that thing right here!" Dipper said and quickly snatched the cage. Mabel looked at him in anger and he just shrugged before exiting the room.

\-----------------

    "Ah, did you get multiple scales for me? You shouldn't have!" the pixie screeched in delight. "Too bad tha--"

    "Too bad indeed," Dipper cut her off, and suddenly--swiftly--grabbed her wings. The pixie struggled but couldn't let herself free. "You said you'd tell us an abnormal part of the forest for one scale, if my memory serves correct. I wonder what multiple scales will cost you? Oh, I've got an even better proposal! What would a live Cockatrice cost you?"

    "A li-live Co-Cocka-Co-Cocka-trice?"

    "Yes. Let's see how much your life is worth! Tell us everything you know and maybe we won't throw you into this cage. Have we got a deal?"

    "Th-the d-d-deal's o-o-o-ff!"

    Dipper lowered the pixie a little closer to the oxygen holes. "It is, but we have a _new_  and _better_ deal!"

    "Dipper--" Mabel started only to get cut off.

    "There's a triangle statue a little to the west! A little to the north and you'll find the Stymphalian birds' nests! There have been more monsters as of late, so even I don't know where every anomalies are! Those are the only abnormal ones I know, please!" the pixie shouted and begged. Dipper moved her only a bit closer and the pixie screeched. Convinced it was telling the truth, Dipper let go of its wings. 

     "Well, a deal's a deal. Let's go, Mabel." Dipper started heading west. He heard his sister's footsteps following him.

   Mabel's voice was hesitant. "Dipper... You just threatened the queen of the pixies..."

    Dipper shrugged. "We've made gnomes angry, too, and yet we've fought side by side on some conditions. The pixies'll come around when they see what'll happen to the world in the future."

    "You really are gone, aren't you?"


	11. "Oh, no, it's Bill!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Capturing the atmosphere of the show is impossible with this solemn fanfiction... I tried, guys, I really tried; I just can't seem to write any randomness and heartfelt moments the show had.
> 
> Well, you guys who're still reading are probably aware of that. But I just wanted to apologize.

    "Wow..." Mabel muttered, looking at the statue in front of her.

    "Yeah," Dipper agreed while inspecting the statue carefully. "It's stuck to the ground pretty good and it's a statue, so we can't bring it to the Shack. Let's get everyone else here instead, I think they'd like to know about this."

    "He actually looks harmless like this..."

    "I guess he'd be the comic relief of a cartoon if he wasn't so demented or evil."

    "Like Excalibur?"

    "Minus the handbook."

    "Always minus the handbook."

    The twins began making their way back to the Mystery Shack. Mabel noticed the change in Dipper's physical and mental state. Although he still couldn't sleep, he wasn't constantly looking over his shoulder anymore. He was no longer the overly-shy little fella Mabel had grown up with and loved, he had a lot more confidence in himself and didn't hesitate as much he always had anymore.

    He was acting more like Bill, and Mabel was beginning to suspect and doubt her own brother. Dipper had promised her that it would just be the two of them forever, but now Dipper was too far for Mabel to ever reach him. The gap between them had first appeared after Weirdmegaddon but it was so small that Mabel hadn't noticed it was there until it began to widen, until it was too late to close that gap. Now, with Dipper acting more like Bill, Mabel didn't know if she could ever reach her brother again.

    "Hurry up," Dipper said as he squeezed her hand a little tighter. Dipper still had some part of his personality intact, though. Like how he'd look out for Mabel. Like how he'd hold her hand. Like how he'd either lay down on her bed or invite her to his bed whenever one or both of them couldn't sleep.

    Mabel briefly wondered how long those parts of his peronality--that love he had for her--would last in this mind of his. Then the train of thought became painful, so she stopped.

\--------------

    " _This_ is that monster?" the twins' father asked, looking at the statue with narrowed eyes.

    Dipper nodded. "We didn't think much of him at first, too, but believe us when we say that he's one of the most dangerous and psychopathic creatures to ever exist. And yes, I'm taking other dimensions into account as well." 

    "But if he's here... Then what are we facing right now?" the twins' mother questioned as she hesitantly touched the statue's eye. Nothing happened. And no one said a word as the looked at the statue.

    Mabel reluctantly put a hand on Dipper's shoulder. Dipper didn't react to it, he just stared at the ground intensely. 

    "Mabel, remember when Stan shook Bill's hand to accept he deal?" Dipper asked. 

    Mabel rolled her eyes. "How can I _not_?"

    "Bill had a physical body. And then, to enter Stan's mind, he had to leave a stone replica of himself behind."

    "Are you saying that Bill is inside Grunkle Stan's head and this is just his physical body? That's impossible, we wiped out Stan's memories and Bill with the memory erasing gun!"

    "You did what?" the twins ' parents screeched.

    "But Stan regained his memories in less than an hour. McGucket also had his entire mind erased, and he can only remember how to build stuff and some intense instincts even after many years. Stan got all of his memories back by just one summer when he probably has had much more equally eventful days in his life."

    "Dipper may be on to something," McGucket said.

    "So," Pacifica started. "like, you're suggesting that Bill stored your uncle's memories somewhere safe alongside himself, and just waited for you guys to trigger back your uncle's memories so he could also come back?" 

    "Pretty much," Dipper replied.

    Gideon crossed his arms. "Hold up! I may not like the geezer much, but there's no way he wouldn't sense somethin' unnatural 'bout his head!"

    "He may have just thought it was paranoia," Wendy replied.

    "Not helpin', redhead."

    Dipper bit his thumb. "The pixie said that there were a bunch of new anomalies appearing in the forest. How much are you guys betting that Bill is causing it?"

    "How much are we betting that _this is happening all over the world_?" McGucket corrected.

    "This is insane," the twins' mother stated. "There's no way we're letting you kids fight this demon!"

    The twins' father nodded. "Let's go back to California, you two can bring your friends, too. We'll be safe."

    "No way," Mabel argued. "If we're gone, no one can defeat Bill! That's a fact, because _we're_ the most of what's needed for an ancient spell that'll destroy Bill once and for all!"

    Dipper wrapped an arm around Mabel's shoulders. "We beat him once, and we'll beat him again."

    "This is too crazy," their mother said. "Please think about this, that demon is causing your mental illnesses. What good will facing him again do?"

    "Well, we'll save the world," Mabel stated.

    "And the other dimensions," Dipper added.

    "And we'll get payback for turning our friends and family into stone and using them to build his throne," Wendy said.

    "He turned us into flags," Soos stated.

    "He almost made me dance to my death!" Gideon shouted.

    "He's partly the reason I lost all my memories..." McGucket said.

    Pacifica crossed her arms. "He, like, betrayed my parents after all they did for him. Okay, yeah, my parents were bad for making a deal for him in the first place but still."

    "We've got a lot of things to get revenge on, and saving this dimension as well as all the others left only puts the cherry on top," Dipper summarized. "And plus, Grunkle Stan and Ford have probably already been affected by the new anomalies appearing if this is happening all around the world. We need to get them back before it's too late."

    McGucket stepped up reluctantly, "Dipper... The new anomalies are appearing because Bill must've done something to trigger this. I fear that Stanley Pines may..." There was a moment of silence before Mabel smiled and chuckled.

    "Grunkle Stan wouldn't let any triangles invade his mind!" Mabel said. "There must be some other reason..."

    Dipper didn't look all that phased as he interrupted Mabel. "There can't be another reason, Mabel. If my theory is correct... Grunkle Stan couldn't possibly fight Bill where Bill is the strongest."

    "But Grunkle Stan's strong in his mind, too!"

    "We're talking about some 60-year old man with not much academic skills facing off with gazillions of years old demon which specializes in minds, has unimaginable knowledge, and is one of the most intelligent and psychopathic being's in the universe. Mabel, listen to your brain."

    "I know Grunkle Stan is alive! Ma-maybe Bill possessed him, big deal! Grunkle Stan's alive and he'll do something to delay Bill while we figure out what to do."

    "Mabel..."

    "You don't know anything!"

    "No, I know _exactly_ what Stan's going through right now if he's been possessed! Don't forget, Mabel, I was possessed by Bill, too. Do you want to know what Bill does to you? He throws your consciousness into the Dreamscape, where no one can sense you. You need a puppet to be sensed, and I doubt Stan and Ford would have any puppets around. Even if Stan were to possess Ford, Bill would notice and do something about it. There's nothing Stan can do right now."

    "I refuse to believe Stanford won't fight!" Gideon argued.

    "You're talking about the wrong Stan," Soos informed Gideon. "The Stan you always fought with is Stan _ley_ , the one who appeared recently is Stan _ford_."

    "Wait, what?" Pacifica asked. 

    Soos laughed nervously. "Long story. Later." 

    Wendy sighed and kicked the statue, gathering everyone's attention. "One thing here is clear, here: We're on our own. We have to find a way to defeat this prick here in the borders of Gravity Falls."

    "Easier said than done," the twins' father said, looking at the statue thoughtfully.


	12. Falling Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaa~ck! 
> 
> Did ya miss me?
> 
> Of course you didn't.

    "'Burn this letter as soon as you read it'," Dipper read.

    "Who's it from?" Mabel asked, looking suspiciously at the pine tree and shooting star doodle on the envelope.

    "Only one way to find out. 'We have found out something you'll find horrifying. Although we haven't found what you requested, we have found out that the US government is aware of the triangle demon. Not only aware, the US government plans to make a deal with him. Pines, you are not safe. And we aren't, either. My partner Agent Trigger and I are on the run. There are anomalies all over the place; rather, places they shouldn't be in. We can only hope this gnome can deliver this message across America. We shouldn't contact each other anymore, in fear of our location being found out. Take care of yourselves, and do not let the government take you.'"

    No one talked. Dipper went into the kitchen and quickly burned the letter, and let the remains be washed off the sink. By the time he went back to everyone, the group had finally began talking to one another.

    Pacifica sat back and crossed her arms. "My family, I can understand. But the government? If they're screwed, so are we!"

    "We have to go on the run like the agents," Gideon said. "The government has too many forces under its command, they'll stop at nothin' 'till they've stopped us from defeatin' Bill."

    "And how are we going to find bizarre creatures if we can't get near Gravity Falls? We have connections here!" Wendy argued.

    "Guys, we should try to _calm down_ first," Mabel suggested.

    "Time is running out," McGucket stated, ignoring Mabel. "We should hide in the woods and continue our search."

    Soos fidgeted at his seat. "Dudes, we should just eat some breakfast and _then_ think with cool heads."

    "Every second we sit here arguing gives Bill more seconds to prepare for the apocalypse," Dipper said. "I say we stay in the Shack and gather as many allies as possible."

    Mabel looked at her twin nervously. "Um... Dipper, you were the one trying to kill the queen of the pixies..."

    "Excluding the pixies. What do you suggest we do, guys? We can live in the woods, they'll burn it to the ground. We can't leave, we don't have connections elsewhere. Our only option is to take a stand."

    "Dipper..."

    "Don't say my name like that, Mabel. What else do you suggest? What else is better than my plan?"

    "Dipper, this isn't you. Sure, your plan is the best we have, but I don't like your personality."

    "We don't have _time_ to argue about my personality, Mabel."

    "Then we'll make time! Dipper, you're acting less like yourself and this is a _major_ problem!"

    "Less like myself? I was always like this."

    "No, you weren't! What the H has gotten into you? You're acting more like Bill."

    "Mabel, I'm telling you, I was always like this."

    "You weren't!" Mabel's eyes were wide, showing genuine fear and concern. Then her eyes narrowed. She quickly walked over to Dipper and pulled him close by the collar, inspecting his eyes.

    Dipper pushed her away. "I'm _not_ possessed."

    "I... I don't know what to think anymore, Dipper! I mean..."

    Soos got in between Dipper and Mabel. "Dudes, let's cool down. This has been stressful for all of us, let's not think about any of this for today and go home. Sleep a little, do normal things..."

    "That would be best," the twins' father agreed. His wife nodded.

    Soon enough, everyone voiced their agreement and it was only the Pines family left at the table. Melody smiled brightly and told them that she was going to shop for some movies to watch before also leaving.

    "Bill Cipher once possessed your body from what I hear," Dipper and Mabel's mother said carefully. "Dipper dear, did Bill Cipher also use your mind?"

    "I'd guess so," Dipper replied. "The memory's hazy, but I remember being thrown out of my body... I don't remember much after that..."

    "What do you mean you don't remember?"

    "I just... don't. What's the point you're trying to make, Mom?"

    "Well, my best guess is that when Bill Cipher used your mind he either intentionally or unintentionally left some of his thoughts lingering in your mind. Like a virus."

    "I see."

    The twins' father stood up, "Let's rest for a little while. Especially you, Dipper. You've been using that mind of yours all day without any kind of sleep."

    "Yeah," Mabel agreed and the family divided into groups of two, the groups heading in opposite directions. 

    The twins entered the room and looked at their beds for a while. Mabel quickly collapsed onto hers. "Maybe some sleep will do you good, Dippin' Sauce! C'mon, separate beds today."

    Dipper reluctantly laid down. He had no desire to sleep, the voices and the nightmares he heard and saw in his dreams were all just too much. But, unwillingly, his body and mind forced him into a sleep full of nightmares mere minutes later.

     _"Shooting stars are only beautiful when they fall, aren't they?" Bill Cipher asked Dipper. Dipper was standing on space itself, while Bill was floating with his back turned to Dipper._

_"Where are we?" Dipper demanded. His voice was weak and it shook, but Dipper didn't back down. Bill Cipher turned to him, but he had now changed into the form he had taken while chasing Dipper and Mabel in the Fearamid._

_"We're wherever you want to be. What kind of a universe would you like to be in, Pine Tree? With only a merciful price, I can take you there."_

_"Go take your deals elsewhere, Bill."_

_"A universe where you kill your sister? A universe where you join my side? A universe where everyone you love perishes while you couldn't care less? A fun universe, a universe I set free? Take a pick, Pine Tree, or I'll pick for you."_

_"Leave me alone!" But Bill didn't reply, he only laughed. As the demon laughed, he began to change forms--change_ bodies _._

_"Dipper!" Mabel cried out as she fell from the sky. Dipper ran towards her general direction in panic. He needed to save her!_

_But Mabel burst before Dipper could even hope to reach her. Organs, blood, meat rained from the sky. And Dipper could do nothing but watch._

_"Why didn't you save me?" Mabel's voice asked. Before Dipper could reply, he heard screams behind himself. He turned._

_Ford, Stan, his parents, his friends were all being roasted alive by blue flames._

_"Save us!" they all screamed. Dipper ran for them, but they were merely ashes by the time Dipper grabbed the lock._

_"You let us die," multiple of loved voices said at the same time._

_"I didn't!" Dipper cried out. He fell to his knees and began to sob. "I wanted to save you!"_

_"You couldn't have cared less about those fragile little toys," Bill said._

_"Leave me alone!" Dipper screamed._

_"But who wants someone who has those kinds of emotions? Those toys were only a burden, now you've set yourself free!"_

_"Shut_ up _!" Dipper felt Bill float right in front of him. And then, he heard a person stand in front of him._

_Dipper looked up to see a version of himself. This version of himself wore a suit, and had bruises and cuts all over his body. He had a wicked grin plastered on his face. His eyes were yellow and his pupils were slits, a sign that made it clear he was possessed._

_"You're weak," the possessed version of himself hissed. "You're useless, you're worthless. Do you honestly think_ you _stand a chance against Bill? Quit daydreaming, little boy. I'm on Bill's side. I'm on the strong side. I'm on the winning side."_

_"You're wrong... I'm not weak! I'm not worthless or useless! I'm not daydreaming and Bill will not win!"_

_"Such a cute little pet..." The possessed version of himself then stepped on Dipper's head, forcing Dipper's head to lay on the bloody ground (which had suddenly materialized). "But not entertaining enough."_

Dipper woke up and sat up suddenly, breathing heavily. He didn't know what he had dreamt about, which was odd because he tended to remember his dreams. But, even if he didn't remember the dream, he still cried. Because honestly, it just felt right.

    "It's all going to be over soon," he whispered to himself. "I'll be alright soon."

    He didn't notice Mabel trashing around in her sleep.


	13. Deal?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bill's getting angry~~~~

    "What did you do to my brother?" Stanford Pines demeaned for about the two thousandth time since he'd been captured. 

    Bill Cipher (who was currently in Stanley Pines's body) sighed. "Jeez, arent you getting tired of asking the same question _again_ and _again_ , Sixer?"

    "Answer me, Cipher." But Bill Cipher didn't reply, simply because answering wouldn't benefit him in any way. So, instead, he got up from the couch and stretched. 

    "This old man body is getting tiresome, though wow is it strong... Seems like your dear old brother made up for his lack of brains with brawls."    

    "Don't you dare talk about my brother!"

    "But don't you hate that meat bag anyways? You wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for him and his stupidity, you know." Bill began walking towards the door.

    "Where are you going, Cipher?"

    "There are many people just _dying_ to make deals with me, you know. I wouldn't wanna disappoint them. You just hang there like the pretty little decor you are, I'll be back shortly."

    Stanford began to fight against his restraints, but Bill Cipher paid the mortal no mind. After all, what was Stanford when he had entire governments on his side?

    That's right, Stanford was _nothing_. But Shooting Star and Pine Tree were entirely different stories, entirely different threats. Having the government as their enemies wouldn't spook those two, it would only _add fuel to their fire_. 

    Bill couldn't have that, now, could he? He didn't need those twins to butt into his business--yet again, may he say--when he was so close--yet again, may he say once more.

    Bill looked up at the sky, the sky was clear and the sun shone brightly.

     _We'll meet again some sunny day._

Bill Cipher cackled, but was dismayed when his voice was Stanley's. He missed his own voice, the one that fit his character perfectly. 

    No matter, he'd have his voice back soon. Very soon.

\-----------------

    It was entertaining to see serious looking officials bowing down to an old man whose clothes had most likely never seen better days since he bought them.

    Stanley had a tummy, for one thing. And his face didn't really seem like anyone important. He had features that would easily be forgotten by anyone who didn't know what kinds of things the man was capable of doing.

    Tricking Bill Cipher for one. 

    But Stanley Pines was no more, Bill Cipher had made sure of that.

    "Ah, Stanley Pi--" Bill Cipher began to choke the president before he could finish the sentence.

    "The name's Bill Cipher," Bill Cipher corrected in a cheery voice. He choked the poor man a little more before finally letting go.

    The man coughed violently before stuttering out, "Our mistake, of course," with a hoarse voice. 

    "Of course."

    "Allow me to formally--"

    "I don't care much for formalities. How about we just count our needs?"

    The president laughed nervously. Bill Cipher found it annoying. "Straight to the point, I see."

    "Name what you want, I can make it happen. For a fair price, of course."

    "I want total control of this world. To make every land America's." 

    "Alright. Shake my hand and we'll both have it all!"

    "What's the price?"

    "I want to have a little puppet in this place. Surely you have many to sacrifice." Bill Cipher held out his hand, and the president shook it firmly after a moment's hesitation. Well, at least the stuttering meat bag could do that much.

    "Take your pick, Mr. Cipher."

    "I choose you, Pikaprez." Bill Cipher smiled and swiftly broke the president's neck.

    The men in the suits could do nothing out of fear of being killed themselves.

    "I'm your new president," Bill Cipher announced. "And here's my first mission to you lazy meat bags: Find these twins and bring them to me _alive_!" Bill Cipher took out a photo of Shooting Star and Pine Tree from his pocket and let it fall to the ground. "Don't fail me unless you value your sanity, buddies."


	14. Memories Consume

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm....
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> I wonder where Stanley is?..
> 
> (Sorry about this chapter, really. This chapter was made with intense writer's block... I couldn't find the right words nor could I find the appropriate time and atmosphere I need in order to write and/or think clearly.)

    "There's something big coming," the Cynocephalus repldied to Mabel. "Something evil. Of course, the simple minded race wouldn't feel it."

    "So you just run?" Mabel asked. "You don't try to fight for your own home?"

    "Little one, my race has faced the danger of extinction more times than we have a number for. My kind is still very few, we can't possibly fight this trouble with the numbers we have."

    "But you won't be alone," Dipper said. "Your kind may be few, but the rest aren't. If all of us joined forces--"

    The Cynocephalus shook his head. "I'm very sorry. The rest of the creatures in the woods are also fleeing, even _if_ we wished to join this fight. This is the one abnormal fight the dominant human race has to fight alone."

    "Then share your knowledge with us, it won't even take a few minutes!" Dipper suggested. "We want to know about the being known as Bill Cipher!"

    The Cynocephalus looked at Dipper with alarm. "Why do you wish to learn about _him_?"

    "Because that trouble you're feeling is _him_."

    " _WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?_ " the Cynocephalus screeched. " _WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ANGER HIM?_ "

    Mabel laughed nervously. "Umm... Beat him thrice, almost erased him, tricked him, and saved Gravity Falls from Weirdmegaddon. Not that much, really..."

    "You kids..." the Cynocephalus looked at us and howled happily. "You're the prophesied ones! I see now! The head and heart! The dark and light!"

     Dipper stepped in front of Mabel. " _What_?"

    "The ones prophesied to defeat Bill Cipher! The ones prophesied to save the world! You must come with us, _now_! Your safety is the most imp--"

    "We're not leaving," Mabel stated.

    "You must! You--"

    "Why should we?" Dipper asked. "Gravity Falls is the only place that's safe from Bill's plans, so we must find a way to kill him in the borders of this town."

    "But the danger is--"

    Dipper shrugged. "Coming right towards us, yes. Those are Bill's mindless puppets. They're coming for Mabel and I, I'm sure. But we're not going to give Bill the pleasure of watching us scamper around. We're going to fight for our home, like what you're making up excuses to _not_ do."

    "You're insane," the Cynocephalus said, looking straight at Dipper.

    "Experiencing the things I have experienced can do that to a person," Dipper replied. 

    _What had I experienced?_ Dipper asked himself. He had just said what was natural but... He didn't remember experiencing anything traumatizing. What had happened on the summer he had turned thirteen, anyways?

    Gravity Falls. Gnomes. The Journals. Weirmegaddon. Bill Cipher. Wendy. Gideon. All those bizarre adventures. 

    Dipper took a step back to steady himself. 

    "Dipper?" Mabel asked, quickly holding her twin.

    How could Dipper forget? How could Dipper forget all those near-death experiences, all those adventures, all those... _How could Dipper forget Gravity Falls_ _?_

    The memories came to him in an instant and _burned_. Dipper felt as if those memories were burning his brain. As if punishing him for ever forgetting.

    Dipper cried out and grasped his head with his hands. He heard two people talking but... who were those two people? Who was calling out his name?

    Mabel.

    Of course! His twin sister! Mabel! He was worrying her... He was worrying himself, too, but Mabel was more important now.

    "I'm okay," Dipper said. His voice sounded foreign even to his own ears.

    _You're not okay._

    As Mabel asked him what had happened, he put on a false smile and just told her that he had a bad headache. It wasn't that dishonest, he really did have a headache from the lack of sleep.

    _You forgot her._

    It didn't matter now. The burning was gone, and he still remembered everything.

    _The burning isn't gone. You don't want to remember anymore. Remembering hurts._

    They left the Cynocephalus to his fleeing and began heading towards the Mystery Shack. As the Cynocephalus had said, a lot of the creatures were fleeing. Dipper and Mabel watched the creatures go as they walked.

    _You're angry._

    Mabel laughed and joked, and Dipper laughed with her. As long as Mabel was optimistic, there was always hope for all of them. There had to be.

    _She's a burden. Why do you even bother protecting her?_

 _"WHEN HAS_ SHE _EVER RETURNED THE FAVOR?"_

_Always the righteous hero, always saving the day with his Journal--oh, wait, he let his little Journal get burned! You're as useless as your little friends._

_Your precious friends and family only ever take from you. You save them and what do you get? A flimsy thanks. Isn't it irritating?_

Dipper smiled at his twin. "I'm going to sleep. Maybe it'll help with this headache." 

    "Want me to lay beside you?" Mabel asked.

    "Nah, I'll come downstairs if I can't sleep."

    "Hope you have sweet dreams, Dip Dots."

    "Yeah, me, too."


	15. Pine Tree and Shooting Star (PART ONE)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can guess by the title, this was a very fun chapter to write! It will be divided into 2 parts since one, I'm a lazy little potato and two, I just want you guys to wait (read: suffer).
> 
> I'm such a great person :)

_Dipper was tied to a chair as the other version of himself paced around the bloody room._

_"Why do you keep struggling?" the evil version of himself asked him. "It's futile effort, you know that!"_

_"So?" Dipper replied. "Grunkle Stan and Ford need our help. We're not going to just turn out backs on them."_

_"Stan lied to you for an entire summer. He lied to everyone. And Ford? He's only interested in you because you're a suitable successor."_

_"Stan's not the most honest guy in the world, so what?" Dipper said that, but the words he said sounded so foolish even to him. "Ford... Ford may have thought of me like that but not anymore!"_

_"Are you listening to yourself?" the evil version of Dipper asked. Dipper stayed silent. The evil version of himself crouched down in front of him and smirked. "Do you think you can trust these two old men, let alone count them as family? And what about Mabel? You sacrificed everything you wanted, even your life, for her. When did she return the favor?"_

_"She protected the Journal," Dipper replied. "She sacrificed her puppet show for me."_

_"The puppet show that was apparently more important than her own twin brother until the last moment. She replaced you in that bubble, too. She only followed you out when you refused Ford's apprenticeship. You sacrificed the timeline with Wendy being grateful to you just for her. And don't you have suspicions about what happened to start Weirdmegaddon? I could--"_

_"Stop," Dipper commanded. His voice was hollow._

_"So that counts Mabel out, too. How about your parents? Remember how they just ignored you whenever you talked about anything other than your grades? And then, once you go insane, they suddenly become concerned parents. They suddenly listen to everything you say as if they have been like that their whole life."_

_"Stop..."_

_"Wendy? Gideon? All the other people you think are your friends. They only stick to you because you've defeated Bill multiple times. They stick to you because they're scared of what you can do. The minute you let your guard down, they'll ditch you."_

_"That's not true--"_

_"It's not? You can't trust your own family and you think you can trust people who've been a part of your life for one summer? Some less than that? The Journal said it all, there's no one you can trust in Gravity Falls."_

_"And what makes_ Bill _so_ trustworthy _?"_

_"Bill won't kill you or harm you, you're amusing and of use to him."_

 

    Dipper woke up and tried to remember his dream. It was no use, he could only remember being tied to a chair. And even that little memory was slipping away.

    He got up and descended the stairs. The clock on the wall informed him that it was 3 a.m. Mabel was in the living room, watching one of those weird TV shows Gravity Falls had. Dipper didn't pay much mind to her and entered the kitchen to drink a glass of water.

    That's when he heard it.

    Dipper drank the water in one go and quickly entered the living room. Mabel was already on her feet and running towards their parents' room.

    Dipper quickly headed towards Soos and Melody's rooms and quickly woke them up. "They're here!" he shouted. 

    "Who?" Melody asked, half-asleep.

    "FBI, SWAT and more orginizations I either can't name at the moment or just don't know," the twins' father replied from somewhere behind Dipper. He didn't bother to check exactly where his father was.

    "The government must've already made a deal with Bill," Dipper said. "But we have no time to make more assumptions. The creatures that agreed to occupy the officials can't hold them off for long."

    "What do we do, then, dudes?" Soos asked. 

    "I didn't expect there to be this many officials," Dipper mused. "Either Bill or the president doesn't want to take chances."

    "Duck!" Mabel cried out. They all did as they were told just as a light was shined on the windows. Knowing that ducking from this distance would do no good, Dipper led them behind a wall.

    "Defending the Shack is impossible," the twins' mother said.

    "No, there has to be a way!" Mabel argued. "We can't--"

    "We lost," Dipper stated. "Bill must've warned these guys about the vending machine, so we can't hide in the lab. With these guys' numbers, they'll have every area covered within seconds. There's nowhere we can hide in the Shack."

    "Weren't you the one saying that we'd defend the Mystery Shack, Dipper?" Mabel asked, looking at Diper with begging eyes. Dipper found it irritating.

    "That was when I thought only the FBI would get involved. Or maybe the SWAT, too. I thought Bill would let his pride get in the way of rational thinking."

    "C'mon, we defeated _Bill Cipher_! He's gotta be much more tough than these officials, even with their numbers! We can think of something!"

    "We defeated Bill Cipher only when we had the element of surprise on our side, Mabel. We don't have that now." 

    _This is your chance to get rid of them._

    Dipper didn't really have the time for this, so he thought of escape plans instead. He couldn't ignore the voice (which was getting a lot louder and persistent), but at least multitasking helped him to not focus on it much. "I have a plan," he stated.

 

    When some people in the SWAT team broke open the door, they were a little surprised to find a pig sitting right in front of them. 

    Waddles squealed and snorted happily, as if welcoming them inside. ****** The men who broke the door passed out soon after. The pixies hiding on top of the door frame high-fived quietly. Waddles quickly began to waddle around and make as much voice as he could. 

     Some officials ran through the door only to get a Banshee screaming at their face. The officials ran out as fast as they had come in. 

    A lot more officials began to run through the door and into the Shack. Bogles began to appear and disappear here and there. Glasses and doors and walls broke, some creatures and/or people screamed, some creatures made strange noises, sights and sounds mixed with one another.

    A war was being fought in the Mystery Shack.

    "DIPPER?" Mabel shouted. "DIPPER, WHERE ARE YOU?" No one answered her shouts even if they were heard. Mabel jerked back when someone suddenly grabbed her hand, but relaxed when she saw that it was just her mother.

    Her mother began to spell letters on Mabel's palm: M-E-E-T-A-T-G-N-O-M-E-S-B-A-R. And then, her mother quickly ran into hiding.

     Mabel ran into the chaos and tried to confuse as many officials as possible.

**_ TO BE CONTINUED _ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ('Waddles squealed and snorted happily, as if welcoming them inside.') **: [Translation from Pig to English] Surprise, motherfuckers.


	16. Pine Tree and Shooting Star (PART TWO)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The people who've not understood some parts in these chapters would ask: "Why are these two chapters named 'Pine Tree and Shooting Star' when they don't really focus on Dipper and Mabel?"
> 
> Well, my answer to that is: Read the chapters again with some focus. Or maybe my writing is crap and I haven't been able to write the things I intended to write.

    There was a moment of silence and Dipper took a deep breath. Then, he shouted: "C'mon, Mabel!" and began to run upstairs.

    The result was immediate. Officials left their opponents alone and ran after the voice. Dipper shouted more encouragements to Mabel, who was not actually there. He entered his room and locked the door behind him, and then broke the window with a Chemistry textbook.

    He backed up towards the window and waited for the officials to break down the door. His part was done, he had bought enough time for the rest to escape.

    "RUN AND DON'T LOOK BACK!" he screamed. This was going to be his last words for a little while, he was sure. Bill wouldn't kill him yet because he was still of use to Bill, and Dipper was certainly going to use that to his own advantage.

    The door broke and the officials grabbed him in an instant. Dipper fought back, partly for his act to be more convincing and partly for self-pleasure. His hat (Wendy had told him that the swapping of hats would be a tradition, now, and had given him his pine tree hat back) fell to the ground, but neither he nor the officials paid mind to it.

    They handcuffed him and tied him up, even going as far as blindfolding him and duct taping his mouth shut. He didn't stop squirming around and making muffled protests.

    Judging from the sudden breeze, they were now outside. The officials shoved him inside a vehicle forcefully and closed the door. In no time, they were on their way.

\------------

    Mabel cried and screamed after the vehicles, but her mouth was blocked and her body was held back by Soos. She wanted to run towards those vehicles, she wanted to crush every single one of those vehicles that were taking Dipper away from her.

    Soos dragged her into the woods. By the time they arrived at the gnomes' bar, Mabel had given up on fighting back. She was nothing but a hollow shell at this point.

    "He's going to be fine, Hambone," Soos said. "He's gonna be fine! Dipper always has some sort of plan!"

    "No, the Journal always has some sort of plan," Mabel replied in a monotone tone. "Dipper's there, alone, with a hundred or so adults who were trained in every fighting art that exists. He's there alone with Bill Cipher and his puppets. He... He..."

    "Um... Dude, not to offend you or anything, but in Weirdmegaddon or whatever it was called he was just fine on his own while you were inside that bubble... I don't think you should underestimate that little dude."

    _He was... just fine on his own? But he went to save me! He got in the bubble to save me because he needed me! Right?_ Right _?_

    Mabel didn't say or do anything, she just stared at nowhere in particular and thought. Soos set Mabel down a small chair and held one out for Melody. After making sure his girlfriend was as comfortable as she could be, he also sat.

    Mabel and Dipper's parents arrived about 15 minutes later, scratched and dirty.

    "Where's Dipper?" the twins' father asked, looking around. No one said anything, and the twins' parents got the message.

    "No..." the twins' mother argued weakly. She didn't argue much further, and tears streamed down her face. Her husband hugged her, though he himself hid his face in the crook of his wife's neck and his body also shook.

    The group was like this for some time: The parents crying, Mabel too shocked and depressed to say or do anything, Soos trying his best to not cry, and Melody trying to cheer people up with a smile that wouldn't stop wavering and a voice that wouldn't stop cracking.

\-----------

    "So you've only got Pine Tree?" Bill asked with a bored tone.

    "The girl twin seems to have escaped," the man in front of Bill said. "We've sent men to look in the forest but we haven't managed to reach them yet."

    "How hard is it to capture two kids? Really? You had so many helicopters and vehicles, and those little rats could only hide in an area you would have surrounded only in seconds. So tell me, what went wrong?"

    "We... We didn't guess that the kids would have many monsters at their disposal. Forgive us, sir."

    "Well, you have gotten the most troubling twin..." Bill Cipher patted the man's shoulder and then swiftly broke the man's neck. "So I'll only kill you."

    Bill gestured for the other men to take the body away. Once he was left alone in the room, he grinned.

    With Pine Tree out of the picture, there simply wasn't a threat anymore. And plus, Pine Tree was such an amusing meat sack. Bill Cipher was certain he hadn't encountered this much of an amusing person for a very long time, even by his standards.

    Sacrificing what he wanted, and even his life, for his selfish little sister. Bill wanted to break down that selfless soul; he wanted to break Pine Tree down and rebuild him into someone new and stronger, into someone who would work for Bill without question. Bill wanted to gain that teen's trust and comfort... and then enjoy the bafflement, the disbelief in the teen's eyes as the teen slowly bled out in Bill's arms.

    Bill went down into the cells and stopped in front of Stanford's. The old man looked up. "Any luck capturing them?" Stanford mocked.

    "Pine Tree will be joining us soon," Bill answered with a smile. He enjoyed how Stanford's expression changed from mocking to something that resembled horror and surprise.

    "And what about Mabel?"

    "Shooting Star fell out of our reach, but you and I both know that Shooting Star is now unimportant. She's only good for reckless decisions, there's no way she can come up with a plan to defeat me." Bill paused a little and then shrugged. "Ya know, this is a perfect opportunity to give me that equation to disable the Gravity Falls Natural Law of Weirdness Magnetism."

    "You have the entire world on your side. Why do you want _that_?"

    "I'll tell ya the details later."

    "No dice, Cipher. It's too early to surrender anyways, the majority of the members of the wheel are still free. Three of them are right here, in fact."

    Bill cackled. "Your dear brother's dead, Sixer. And you also will be dead when you've served your purpose."

    "Not unless we kill you first."

    "Seems like a fun game," Bill admitted. "Let's play."


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Planning chapters ahead is a good thing, it keeps me occupied and it gives me a chance to warn you guys.
> 
>  
> 
> The next chapter... Just... Be wary of it.

__Dipper passed out twice or thrice before he was finally able to cling onto consciousness.

    The first thing he felt were the chains that tied him down to the metal chair he sat on. He blinked a couple of times to get rid of the blurriness in his vision and looked around to make some sense of where he was.

    He was in a cell, but the bunk beds and the toilet had been taken out. Instead, there was a table with a lead-colored briefcase on it. There were no cameras--no apparent ones, at least--in the cell, and Dipper faced the bars. He saw three of the other empty cells, there were no shadows to imply anyone standing guard. He focused on his hearing, but couldn't hear any sounds.

    He fought the urge to make sounds. The silence and the emptiness were eerie and it fueled his paranoia--and, with a domino effect, also fueled his anger.

    He fought the urge to shout and curse Bill's name. He fought the urge to ask if anyone else was there. Because he knew that was exactly what Bill wanted.

    He almost jumped when he heard footsteps coming his way. He closed his eyes and steadied his breath the best he could, listening as the footsteps grew even nearer. The footsteps stopped in front of the bars, and Dipper was sure his heart was going to jump out of his chest any minute.

    "Ya know, kid, you suck at acting," the gruff voice of his Grunkle Stan said. But Dipper knew better.

    "Bill," he greeted, not bothering to hide the hate in his voice. He opened his eyes and saw Bill Cipher grinning sadistically at him with Grunkle Stan's mouth. Staring at him with Grunkle Stan's eyes. To be honest, the fact that Bill was in Grunkle Stan's body only made Dipper much more angry instead of scared.

    "Yeesh, kid, you're gonna break yourself with all that hate! I'd much prefer me breaking you, not you breaking all by yourself."

    "How did you survive, Bill?"

    "Demanding, are we?" Bill smiled at Dipper like some sadistic kid might smile at a brand new toy. Dipper shivered, not having known that Grunkle Stan had had that kind of an expression, and found himself wondering yet again what that man had done before coming to Gravity Falls. Bill entered the cell and walked towards the table. "I survived the Stans' trick the same way you won't survive this, Pine Tree."

    "What are you--" Dipper's voice left him when he saw what was inside the briefcase. He started shaking and felt sick, his wide eyes staring at the tool in Bill's hand. Bill only grinned.

\-------------

    "Calm--" Gideon tried to say only to have Mabel glaring at him. The boy quickly shut up.

    "I'm going to kill him myself," Mabel muttered. "I'm going to make him feel so much pain, he won't be able to laugh at the feeling anymore!"

    "Mabel, are you okay?" Wendy asked, concerned for the younger girl's mental state.

    "Do I look like I'm okay?" Mabel shouted at the redhead. "Dipper's there, all alone, with Bill Cipher! Unless you didn't know before, Bill isn't exactly known for his hospitality!"

    "That's open for debate, dude," Soos stated and got a heated glare in return. "Okay, I'll just... shut up."

    "We need to rescue him somehow," Mabel said. "We need some sort of plan!"

    Mabel's mother sighed. "Sweetie, we don't even know where he is."

    "No, we do," Pacifica said, studying her nails. She had been quiet the entire time Mabel had screamed and shouted. When everyone looked at the blonde with confused stares, she only scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious? There are, like, only three places Bill Cipher could've put Dipper. These places have to be the most secure places in the world that are also in the US."

    "Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory?" Soos guessed. That earned him another eye roll from the Northwest.

    "There are many places like that," Mabel's father argued.

    "But there _aren't_ many places that have certain links towards that triangle," Pacifica replied. "Now, let's think about our conversations with Bill Cipher. Share anything that might, like, sound suspicious."

    Mabel began to think, but the only words she could think of ( _WHO WOULD SACRIFICE EVERYTHING THEY WORKED FOR JUST FOR THEIR DUMB SIBLING?_ )  
weren't what Pacifica wanted. Gideon snapped his fingers, permitting Mabel an escape from that dark corner of her mind.

    "When I first made a deal with him," Gideon stated.

    "Is there _anyone_ you know who hasn't made a deal with that demon?" Mabel's father asked Mabel. Soos, Wendy, Melody and Pacifica raised their hands.

    Gideon cleared his throat. "If I may continue? Thank you. When our deal was made, he said some peculiar things very fast. I hadn't understood them at that moment, but I was able to slow it down and understand as I thought about it. He had said: 'Remember; reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram. Buy gold, bye!'"

    "So that makes us wonder what he meant by buying gold," Melody said. She had also been silent until now.

    "I don't know what he, like, plans to do with gold," Pacifica stated, "but I do know somewhere that fits my description and has all the gold Bill Cipher would need: Fort Knox."

    "But Area 51 also may have all the anomalies Cipher may want," Gideon said. "There are many conspiracies about that place."

    "That makes two of the places I had thought of," Pacifica agreed.

    "What's the third?" Wendy asked.

    "The White House."

    Melody frowned. "What--"

    "The government made a deal with Bill Cipher, right? That's, like, waging war on the entire world. And what if we revealed that information to the other governments?"

    "It wouldn't be war, it would be murder," Mabel's mother said softly, almost as if she couldn't believe any of this.

    "That's why the White House would be well guarded now," Pacifica agreed.

    "How do you know 'bout all this anyways?" Gideon asked, looking at Pacifica.

    Pacifica shrugged. "My family was a powerful one, you know. It had been, like, my father's dream to see Area 51 and Fort Knox. And the White House just seemed relevant."

    "What does Bill Cipher intend to do with him?" Mabel's mother asked. The group looked at Mabel.

    "I don't know," Mabel said, her voice hollow. "But I... I have a feeling we have to... We have to..."

    "Think as if he's dead," Gideon said. If it had been his past self, he would have partied. He would have comforted Mabel, and he would take advantage of her. But this wasn't his past self, and his voice had been just as hollow as Mabel's. His body refused to move, and his mind refused to believe someone like Dipper Pines could be dead.

    If Dipper Pines was dead, who would stop Gideon from making a move on Mabel? Who would roll their eyes at Gideon's failed attempts at acting like a normal kid? Gideon had finally befriended him and won his trust, what did that matter if he was dead?

    Dipper and Mabel's parents didn't say anything. It was impossible for them to feel as much sadness as the people around them, since they had never listened to him anyways. Since they had never known who Dipper Pines was, despite being his parents. It was pathetic, but it was the truth.

    "No," Wendy argued. "No. He's not dead, he can't be dead! That little dude... That little dude is strong, he can't just die off at the hands of a triangle that wears a bow tie!"

    "Yeah, what's gotten into you two?" Pacifica asked. "Like, I can get Gideon, but Mabel? How can you believe--"

    "I don't know what to believe anymore!" Mabel shouted, tears streaming down her face. "I... I ca-can't g-ge-get my ho-hopes up. N-not for so-something li-like thi-this..."

    Nobody said anything after that.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One thousand miles away  
> There's nothing left to say  
> But so much left that I don't know  
> We never had a choice  
> This world is too much noise  
> It take me under  
> It takes me under once again
> 
> -Savior by Rise Against

    If Dipper had been there, he would've refused.

    If Dipper had been there, they wouldn't be in this mess.

    If, if, if... When would they stop with all these ifs? Probably a long time later, since they were all pretty self-loathing, pathetic human beings at the moment and couldn't find it in themselves to accept the situation they were in.

    This whole thing had started with a fault in Pacifica's part. There was no way anyone could deny that. But the second mistake that led to this was the group's.

    The third mistake? That had been someone else's. And, after the third strike, they were out. Hopefully, and doubtfully, they weren't out for good.

    It had all started with a single suggestion from Pacifica: "You guys could, like, stay in my house if you'd like. My parents are cool with it."

    "Really? Is your new house big enough?" Mabel asked.

    "We bought our old house back," Pacifica replied. "McGucket sold it off pretty cheap 'cause he apparently couldn't navigate through it."

    "Are you _sure_ your parents are okay with it?" Mabel questioned, unsure. She had heard from Dipper that the Northwest's parents weren't exactly the most warmest people.

    Pacifica rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure. Actually, the entire group can come to my house for today. It's a better meet place than this gnome bar."

    The Pines family--or, what was left of it--had to agree. Some of the gnomes had fled, some had died and some were severely injured; and strange creatures that had only now appeared were trying to make a territory of their own, so they had to fight with creatures they didn't even know about almost twice a day. It wasn't exactly a good environment to live in or meet at.

    So, the Pines family and their friends were all led by the blonde to the Northwest mansion.

    Pacifica's parents had smiled at them and welcomed them as if they were equal (which had surprised even Pacifica). Mabel, now nervous, followed the blonde hesitantly towards her room alongside the rest of the group.

    And then all hell broke loose.

    Officials were everywhere, seemingly jumping out from thin air. They all screamed and tried to scamper, but they were grabbed and tied up before they could take even one step. It was like a game of cat and mouse, even more so as Mabel, the Pines twins' parents, Pacifica, Wendy, Gideon, Soos and Melody were all squeaking or screaming just like pathetic mice.

    Trusting Pacifica's parents was a mistake, and they had been given multiple warnings to back down. But they hadn't seen these things until it was too late.

    Mabel felt horrible satisfaction when she saw that Pacifica's parents were also getting tied up. She tried to push the satisfaction down, tried to destroy that feeling but it refused to not be felt. Why should she not feel satisfaction, anyways? Those two were the reason her friends and family were being tied up anyways.

    Mabel refused to admit that she was the one thinking these things.

    Mabel bit the officials' hands whenever she had the opportunity, but they quickly gagged her. It wasn't long before she was thrown into a vehicle and driven away, not knowing where she was being taken to.

\-------------

    When Mabel came to, she couldn't make sense of where she was. She groaned and tried to rub her eyes, only to find out that her hands were tied behind her back. She blinked repeatedly, getting rid of the blurriness in her vision slowly.

    She wished she hadn't.

    The first thing she saw was the cell in front of her. The cell didn't have bunks or toilets, unlike hers and probably all the others, but it had a chair and a table. The table and chair were stained in blood, as were a part of two of the walls and all around the chair. She saw an eye lying on the ground.

    She ran towards the toilet and threw up. She was shaking badly, and tears were streaming down her face. Oh god, where was she? Would she meet the same fate as whoever was on the cell in front of her? She didn't want to be tortured. She didn't want to see that thing. She pictured herself on that chair and threw up again.

    "Who's throwin' up 'round here?" the disgusted voice of Gideon asked. "I didn't ask for this smell, you know."

    "Gideon!" Mabel shouted, glad for some company. At least the albino was here. "Oh god, Gideon!" Her voice cracked.

    "Mabel? Is that you? Were you the one throwin' up? Oh, dear, I'm sorry! Of course, even your barf smells lovely!"

    Mabel chuckled half-heartedly. "Is anyone else here?"

    "Wendy here," Wendy said.

    "This, like, smells disgusting," Pacifica stated.

    "We're here, sweetie," Mabel's parents replied.

    "Dudes, has anyone seen Melody?" Soos asked.

    "I'm here!" Melody shouted.

    "And I finally have me some company!" McGucket shouted in glee. That was weird and unnerving, since he usually paid attention to talk in proper English nowadays. And plus, the word "finally" didn't really mean much good in that sentence.

    "McGucket?" Wendy asked.

    "Yep! They captured me right before y'all. Oh, the things I have seen!" McGucket cackled and Mabel didn't really take it as a good sign.

    "McGucket... Who was tortured here?" Mabel asked in a small voice, but her voice echoed enough for everyone to hear.

    "Tortured?" Melody yelped.

    "The cell in front of me..." Mabel didn't finish that sentence and held onto the toilet seat like it'd somehow save her life.

    "You'll find out soon enough," McGucket replied in eerie cheerfulness. They were silent for a while.

\-----------

    The agents got them all in one cell, untied their hands, and gave the some food and water before leaving.

    "Mabel, the thing about torture..." Wendy trailed off, searching the younger girl's face for some sort of sign.

    "Before they put us in this cell, my cell had a view of... another one without bunk beds and the toilet. There was a metal chair and a table there. It was... co-covered in red." Mabel forced herself to take a bite out of her sandwich, it was all she could do to force the barf down her throat and fill up her empty stomach a little.

    "McGucket... Who was that?" Pacifica asked, her voice hollow.

    "I don' wanna ruin your appetite," McGucket answered, ripping a bite out of his sandwich. "Plus, he'll be joinin' us shortly."

    The group left it at that, eating and drinking in silence.

 

    An hour or two after the group had finished their little meal, they began hearing footsteps headed towards them. They quickly stood up and faced the bars, expecting an agent.

    They didn't expect to see Dipper Pines looking at them with disgust in his eyes. Nor did they expect to see a possessed Stanley Pines right beside the teen.

    "The Pines family," Dipper said and paused. "And their friends, right? Do we have all the members of the circle, Bill?"

    "No," Stanley--no, Bill Cipher--replied. "But the missing member is unimportant."

    The group was shocked at what Dipper had become. The teen wore an eyepatch and his gaze had hardened. There were many scars on any visible skin, and his soft brown hair was a reddish black. His birthmark was now slightly visible, probably because he no longer cared enough to deliberately hide it. He wore ripped jeans and a simple, white polo shirt.

    Mabel couldn't stomach the image of her brother tied down to that stained chair, so she refused to think about anything.

    "What is the meaning of this?" Mabel's father demanded. "I want you to--"

    "You want me to _what_?" Bill Cipher asked with a smile, emphasizing every syllable. "Quiet down, Pines. I'm not as merciful as Mason."

    "Ma-Mason?" Mabel asked, her eyes wide. Mason had been Dipper's real name, and Dipper had hated that name. He never had told the reason why he hated it, but he had made it pretty clear.

    "I wanted to see the people who had given Bill such trouble," Di--Mason mused and studied the faces looking at him with wide eyes. "Doesn't look like much to me. Are you sure you're as strong as you say you are, Bill?"

    "Of course I am! And don't underestimate your opponents, kid," Bill Cipher advised. "That was the mistake I had made last time." It was hard to see Bill Cipher giving out random advice, but it seemed natural as he was wearing Stanley Pines's body. Mabel had the urge to break the three corners the triangle had.

    "Are you sure these little rats in a cage are my _opponents_?"

    "A desperate man will attack anything and anyone." Mason considered the advice given to him, and then took a step towards the cell.

    "I don't really care if you once tricked Bill or almost succeeded in killing him," Mason stated. His tone voice was light and confident with a little trace of threatening. A tone that Mabel refused to believe was Dipper's. "I don't want to kill more than necessary, but that doesn't mean I won't. Stay in this little cell and be obedient, that's the only way you'll survive. But, if you don't obey those two rules, I will be the last person you'll see."

    Bill smiled. It was a smile an owner often showed when their little pet had finally performed a trick without any help. It wasn't seen by Mason, and it sent shivers down the Mabel's spine.

    The two began to walk away, and that's when Mabel finally found her voice. Mabel pushed herself against the bars and shouted: "We beat you once, Bill! We'll beat you again!"

    Mabel wasn't given the pleasure of getting a response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 12.32 P.M - "This is Agent Connelos. We have encountered a dangerous situation. Requesting back-up."
> 
> 1.07 P.M - "I repeat, requesting back-up."
> 
> 1.49 P.M - "I have lost Priscilla and Preston Northwest, both presumed to be dead. I need help. Please."
> 
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short update...
> 
> Yaaaay~~ (#sarcasm)
> 
>  
> 
> (i hope i can make up to you its next chapter...)

    Mason wandered the halls, watching some of the servants take down the portraits of American presidents to make room for much more tasteful decorations and portraits. He briefly wondered what the outside world was like; what his life would be like if he hadn't known the weirdness in the world, if he hadn't known that the end was near.

    He decided it would've been a boring life, a life not worth living.

    He found himself facing the door that led to the cells. After staring at it for a minute, he decided to hell with it and opened the door, descending the staircase the door led to.

    The change of the atmosphere could be felt immediately. While upstairs had an air that resembled suspense and seriousness, downstairs only had sorrow and blood. Though Mason thought that the two floors' atmospheres really did summarize the situation they were all in right now.

    His shoes made clicking noises with each step. He hesitated in front of the cell that had once been his home, before moving on without glancing once at its direction. He could hear the hushed whispers the prisoners were making, but he couldn't make sense of them. When Mason was close enough, the whispers stopped. Mason didn't know how to feel about that, so he decided to not feel anything.

    "So," the little albino named Gideon growled out as soon as Mason stepped in their view. "why did you come here?"

    "You're in no position to talk to me that way, Gideon Gleeful," Mason stated. He stopped and turned towards the cell. "Tame your tongue, or you won't have a tongue to tame." Mason paused, giving the group an opportunity to talk. When no one in the group did, he shrugged. "How are they treating you here?" he asked.

    The blonde Pacifica Northwest studied her nails. "I'm surprised you came alone. Like, where's your master? The puppet master should always be present to control his puppet, right?"

    Mason laughed. "Being a puppet is a lot more luxurious than being a caged rat, Northwest. You should know from first-hand experience that what I'm saying is true."

    "Why are you on his side?" Mabel Pines questioned. Her voice was hollow, and she didn't look up to make eye contact with Mason. "He wants to destroy the world, kill innocent people just for his own pleasure. Why would you support that kind of monster?"

    Mason had been expecting that question. "You shouldn't believe everything Sixer tells you," he stated. "Bill isn't going to destroy the world, he's going to free it. He's going to free everyone from the chains you've put on yourselves, he's going to make you see the beauty of things you've never seen before. Only a fool would want to stop this."

    "The thing is, friend, you shouldn't believe everythin' Cipher tells you," Gideon spat out. "He's playin' you like a fiddle. We don't like bein' played, you see."

    Mason felt anger, although he didn't know why. "Here's the thing, _friend_ ," he snarled. "Mere humans cannot beat Bill. You'll die, kneeling and begging for mercy, if you try to oppose him. Do you want to die at your age? The best chance of survival is to bow down, so why are you resisting?"

    "Trust no one," Fiddleford McGucket muttered. "That had been the first advice given to you, Mason."

    An image flashed before Mason's eyes, and he staggered back. "You know nothing about me!" he shouted. His voice cracked. He felt the need to run and hide. He stormed off, suddenly disgusted with them and himself.

    _Pines,_ a voice in his head said.

\--------------

    "Kid, ya okay?" Bill asked, eying Mason's untouched plate.

    "Yeah," Mason replied. "just not hungry. I don't know why." Mason eyed his plate, feeling like he'd puke if he put even a single piece in his mouth.

    "I watched the little talk ya had with our guests," Bill said casually, taking a sip out of his drink. "It seemed that they struck quite a nerve."

    "They caught me off guard and at a psychologically bad time. It won't happen again." Mason didn't feel the need to mention the little voice that had said "Pines," in his head.

    "Are ya trying to hide something from me?"

    "No."

    "Spit it out, kid."

    "Bill," Mason said as he frowned. "do I really have some sort of use to you?" That seemed like a good coverup for the voice in his head. Some things weren't meant to be said to Bill, Mason knew that quite well. Too well.

    "Of course you do, kid!" Bill answered with a grin. It was a sadistic grin that seemed to fit him perfectly and yet seemed so terribly out of place. Mason was almost certain that this was the only way Bill could possibly grin, and yet he was sure it wasn't. His mind was a mess, as expected of human minds. He tried to wonder if all the other human beings felt and thought this way, but he couldn't go far with his train of thought as he didn't know how other humans worked.

    "When will you free this world?" he asked, taking a small bite. He felt a little better now that Bill was off his case.

    "We've gotta take care of some stuff first." Bill grinned again. "That's where _you_ come in."


	20. Simple Equation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...  
>  I know what you want so desperately.  
> You know I'll give you one for free,  
> Forever you're coming back to me.  
> Now I'm gonna give you what you need,  
> 'Cause I know what you feed on, and what you lean on, and what you lead on.  
> ...
> 
> \--Painkiller by Three Days Grace

    Stanford Pines's eyes narrowed as soon as he saw Mason. "What are you--" Mason stabbed a knife just a millimeter away from the old man's right ear, effectively shutting him up.

  
    "I don't really have to do this," Mason said as he stepped away, examining Stanford's expression. "You can just give me the equation that takes down the Gravity Falls Natural Law of Weirness Magnetism and I won't have to hurt you or even kill you for it."

  
    "Who are you?" Stanford's voice was ice-cold and venomous.

  
    "The name's Mason. Nice to officially meet you, Sixer. Though I'm certain we could've met under better circumstances if you knew when to back down."

  
    "I know when to back down. This just isn't the time yet.

  
    "And I was told you were the smartest Pines... This family's a joke."

  
    "I'm not the smartest," Stanford corrected. "And don't insult my family unless you want to meet an end Cipher will surely meet."

  
    "You're not the smartest?" Mason asked, amused and curious. "Then who is?"

  
    "Dipper Pines." The old man said the name in a certain tone, one that Mason didn't really know what to think about.

  
    "What a strange name to give a kid. They must have some family issues. Are they still alive?"

  
    "He is."

  
    "I would love to play with him, then. Fingers crossed he'll find his way here." Mason paused and studied the tools on the table. "Wanna give me the equation?"

  
    "No."

  
    "Pity."

  
\--------------

  
    "His lips were sealed," Mason reported.

  
    "As expected of Sixer," Bill said, sitting back and reading a book Mason couldn't read the title of. He didn't really need to, he knew Bill's taste.

  
    Mason, knowing Bill had something to say, studied the room from where he stood to pass some time. It was probably the presidents' study. He wondered if there was a secret passage behind one of these bookshelves, and what he would find beyond the passage if there indeed was.

  
    "The one on my left, the book on the second shelf that's titled President's Escape. The title of the book is pretty self explanatory as to what the passage is for."

  
    "Even presidents have a sense of humor, it seems."

  
    "Guess so, kid." Bill cipher turned the page. "How're ya feeling?"

  
    "Normal."

  
    "Really?" Bill's eyes narrowed. He wasn't even looking at Mason. "I don't need to have my powers to tell something's wrong in your mind."

  
    "Having amnesia isn't all that easy, Bill," Mason stated. "It is hard to deal with."

  
    "I see."

  
    Mason turned on his heel and exited the study, trying to steady his breathing and appear as calm as possible. I see, Bill had said not even a minute ago. Those two words coming Bill meant that Mason was walking on very, very thin ice.

  
    _Trust no one._

  
    That voice again. The goddamned voice that always seemed to come when Mason was vulnerable.

  
    _Bowing to a triangle just to see some pretty colors._

  
    The voice had grown stronger, more persistent over the days. Instead of words, it formed sentences. It chipped away at Mason's sanity, which Mason didn't have much of anyways.

  
    _Pain, pain; does it hurt?_

  
    Mason grit his teeth and shut his room's door behind him. He quickly grabbed a book and began reading. The voice was silent.

  
\-----------

  
    "What did you do to him?" Stanford asked, his voice hoarse.

  
    Bill Cipher rolled his eyes. "Of course, just blame me! Believe it or not, Sixer, I didn't have to do much. What you see in the kid is just the side he didn't let you see."

  
    "Even if he had some kind of hatred you built on, that doesn't explain his actions. Dipper is a smart kid, he wouldn't be on your side."

  
    "You hurt me! Here's a little tip about that kid, Sixer: He responds very well to praises and positive attitude. Like a dog, really, but only smarter and more powerful. It's a shame his parents always neglected him, he could've been at your level at twelve! Though fourteen is good, too, I guess."

  
    "Think fast, Cipher," Ford smirked. "You won't be able to control him."

  
    "He's mine. He can't refuse anything I order him to do."

  
    "No, Dipper belongs to this family. Fighting against you runs in his blood."

  
    "Yes, I guess so. Good thing that Pine Tree's not alive, right?" Bill grinned and began walking towards the door. "Pine Tree this, Pine Tree that... Really, has it occurred to you dumb meat sacks that Pine Tree is long gone? He isn't gonna return. Not in this universe."

  
   "You're wrong, Cipher."

  
    "You really think so?" Bill Cipher asked and exited the room.

\-------------    

  
    
    _Dipper,_ he thought. _Strange name. Unless it's not a name he was given by his parents. How far am I willing to go based on this... accusation told by a man I was taught to hate?_

  
    The thing was, Mason didn't know. All he had to go on was some sort of feeling he felt in his gut. He wanted to believe Sixer, but he also wanted to free this world with Bill.

  
    Free from the chains of society, free from the chains of the world's atmosphere. Free from laws, a party that never ended. Mason wasn't an idiot, blood would need to be spilled if Bill and he wanted to achieve this. But... was this the right way to free the world?

  
    _Don't believe everything Cipher tells you,_ Gideon Gleeful had said. Was he right? Was Bill lying to him? But what for? Why would Bill Cipher, an immortal and powerful demon Mason couldn't even comprehend fully, need to lie to him, a fourteen year old boy?

  
    Sixer had said that Dipper Pines was the smartest in the Pines family. To defeat Bill, you had to trick him. You didn't need muscles, you needed a clever and cunning brain.

  
    A girl who looked like him, wearing a dirty sweater. Mabel Pines, Shooting Star. Then who was he? Who was Mason--who was Dipper Pines?

  
     Stitched Heart. He was missing. Bill had stated he wasn't important, but Mason highly doubted that. So, what would Mason's move be? Stay by Bill's side?

  
     Or would Mason be the one to kill the demon, once and for all?

  
\------------

  
    "We might need to kill him," McGucket stated. Everyone was quiet.

  
    Mabel was shaking. "No. I can't. We can't."

  
    "He's gone," Wendy said. "He was tortured and brainwashed. If Bill and he work together, there's no way we can stop their plans."

  
    "How about a deal?" a voice said. The group looked around in alarm. "I had a speaker installed in the room," the voice of Stanley Pines--Bill Cipher--explained. "Human tech's really helpful sometimes! Now, I ask again, how about a deal?"

  
    "Go away, Bill!" Mabel shouted. "We don't want your deals!"

  
    "Even if I offer you a chance to talk to Pine Tree? Such a sh--"

  
    Pacifica stood up. "Start talking."

  
    "Spoken like a true kid of some snobby rich adults; I commend you, Llama! Better keep that in mind, I don't flatter meat asks often. Anyways, I can get you a chance to talk to Pine Tree if you do a small favor for me."

  
    "No," McGucket said. "I saw what you're going to do, Bill Cipher. We won't make a deal."

  
     "You're smart, but here's what I love about humans: Their emotions cloud their better judgement! Do we have a deal?"


	21. IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE

This is the second author's note and I feel like shit.

 

Okay, first of all, this fic is NOT DISCONTINUED. This lack of updates only have been an unintentional and forced haitus and I am sorry I couldn't warn you guys earlier. I didn't want this haitus to happen, but it had to.

This summer has been the absolute worst summer my family and I have spent; spending three months without knowing where our house will be, no wifi, trying to find good schools, and many more problems have occurred. Despite these, I have tried updating and HAVE updated a lot of chapters. But, sadly, I was forced to go on a haitus when my cellular data was almost extinct and we were racing everywhere, looking for furniture and potential homes.

But, thankfully, that haitus is over. My updates will be slow, maybe once a week or once every two weeks, but this fic is still going to be continued.

 

Thank you for reading this far. I am writing the next chapter as you read this and I'll hopefully update soon.


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